briskly into the house. She looked into the library. Mrs.
Horton, exhausted by her regrets and sorrow, had fallen into a heavy
sleep.

Quickly Mrs. Hargrave went back and beckoned. Mr. Culver gathered
Rosanna up in his arms, and with Minnie leading the way, carried her to
her pretty room. She gave a sigh of happiness when she felt herself
tucked into her own soft, pleasant bed, and a tear squeezed itself from
under her closed lids, but it was a tear of joy.

Mrs. Hargrave returned to the library and sat down. It was a half hour
before Mrs. Horton awoke.

"No news?" she asked with a groan.

"The best in the world!" said Mrs. Hargrave, patting her friend's hand.
"The best in the world, Virginia, and you must take it bravely."

"Tell me quickly," begged Mrs. Horton. "They have found her? Where is my
child?"

"Yes, we have found her," said Mrs. Hargrave, "and she is in her own
little bed upstairs."

"Oh, oh!" cried Mrs. Horton, covering her eyes.

"She was nearly run over on Third Street, and has a pretty bad bump and
a cut on her head. We found her in the hospital. No one knew who she was
because she had cut off her curls, and she had on a dress I never saw
before. Helen thinks it is one she bought to give that Mary child I
told you about. Now don't mind her hair, Virginia; it will grow, and
_do_ be gentle with her."

"Mind her hair--be gentle with her!" repeated Mrs. Horton indignantly.
"I will tell you what I am going to do from this time on, and just you
try to interfere if you dare! I am going to _spoil_ Rosanna. I thought I
was doing the right thing, and you don't know how I wanted to pet her
and love her and play with her, but I was such a goose that I thought if
I didn't keep her at a distance she wouldn't respect me. Why, she cares
a thousand times more for you than she does for me this very minute! So
you just watch me. I am going to make her love me best! I am going to
begin now." She rose and started for the door.

"Don't you want to fix your hair first?" asked Mrs. Hargrave in
amazement. "It is all tousled up, and your nose is red and shiny."

"It can stay so!" said the elegant Mrs. Horton. "I don't mind at all
letting her see that I was breaking my heart for her. Perhaps it will
help her to believe that I have one."

Followed by Mrs. Hargrave, Mrs. Horton mounted the stairs as lightly as
a girl. Minnie was just coming down.

"Miss Rosanna keeps asking for you, Mrs. Horton," she said, "and the