ee her close up?" asked Helen curiously.

"Not very," confessed Mary. "She was all covered with dust where the
automobile had rolled her into the gutter, and her head was cut, and she
was unconscious: but she didn't look like Rosanna any more than I do. I
was just wondering if they had been to the hospitals."

"Yes, they went through them all," said Helen. "There were lots of
children that had been hurt one way and another, and there was one
little girl who had been hurt on the head, and couldn't tell who she
was, but she was not Rosanna. The detectives took a picture of Rosanna
along so they could be sure."

"That must have been the little girl I saw hurt," said Mary. "It was
right on Third Street, and they took her down to the Morton Memorial
Hospital right away. But it wasn't Rosanna."

"No, of course not," sighed Helen.

"Of course not!" echoed Mary.

"I wish it _was_ Rosanna," said Helen with a sob. "I wish it was!"

Leaving these thoughts to worry Mary and Gwenny, Helen went off with her
father, and in the course of time reached home.

There was a message from Mrs. Horton asking Helen to come to her as soon
as she could.

"I wish you would go with me," said Helen wistfully to her mother.

"I do not think I had better," said Mrs. Culver. "She asked particularly
for you. Don't get excited whatever is said. I trust you to act as
though I was at your side. You know, darling, that I always trust you."

Helen burst into tears. "Oh, mother, dear, dear mother, think of poor,
poor Rosanna who has no mother at all to go to for advice!"

Mrs. Culver hugged her little girl tight, wondering if little Rosanna
had perhaps gone to the young mother she had lost so long ago.

When Helen entered the library, she found that old Mrs. Horton had
collapsed, and was lying on the sofa covered with a blanket. There was a
chill in the large, dark room. Mrs. Hargrave, very sober and haggard
looking, drew Helen to her and kissed her. Then to Helen's amazement
Mrs. Horton kissed her too.

"My dear little girl," she said feebly, "I want to tell you that I find
I have made a great mistake, and I am sorry for everything. When Rosanna
comes back, I want you two little girls to be the best of friends. And I
want you to ask your father to stay with me. Perhaps he will do it if
you ask him. Mrs. Hargrave says that he is working on an invention of
some sort. He will certainly have as much spare time to give to his
studies here as he co