you to bring her here?" continued Mrs. Horton.

"Oh, Virginia, wait; _please_ wait!" cried Mrs. Hargrave suddenly. "Oh,
Virginia, you have Rosanna, and now Robert is home. You don't know how
lonely I am. Virginia, Robert dear, you have known me all your life but
I am not nearly, nearly as old as I look, and I can love. Give me your
little girl, Robert! She can be your ward just the same, but let me have
her for my little daughter. I am so lonely, and I will be so good to
her!"

Mrs. Hargrave buried her face in her tiny handkerchief and sobbed.
Robert glanced at his mother. She nodded. Robert went over to Mrs.
Hargrave and folded his strong arms round the little old lady.

"Dear old friend, how can I ever thank you?" he said. "Of course I know
you will be good to the child! Elise is yours!"

CHAPTER XX

An hour later Robert went up the stairs, wounds, shell shock and all,
three steps at a time! He wakened Rosanna by tickling her on the nose.

"Well, Rosanna, me dear," said her uncle in a very small-boy and
frivolous manner, "there's news a plenty for you."

"Well, honey, what's the good word?" he asked her when he had finished.

"Oh, Uncle Robert," said Rosanna, "I just never _would_ believe that
anything so perfectly lovely could happen out of a book. Just to think
of it! What will Helen say? Of course you know, Uncle Robert, that I
would have loved to have Elise here, but I just know that Mrs. Hargrave
will be so happy. Her house is so big, and there are no noises in it. It
always seems as though the rooms are whispering to each other."

"I know what you mean," said Robert, nodding. "I like 'em to shout;
don't you?"

"Well," said Rosanna wisely, "perhaps not quite shout, but it is nice
when they talk anyway. Mrs. Hargrave is always wanting to be a fairy
godmother to someone, and now she can be just plain really-truly mother,
and that is much nicer. I know she will love Elise, and she is so dear
to lean up against. She is always so soft and silky feeling."

"I never hoped for such luck!" said Uncle Robert. "We want to make a
real little American of Elise. We will do great things for her, even if
she is going to be Mrs. Hargrave's daughter. I want her to ride and
swim, and do all the things you do."

"I don't swim, Uncle Robert," said Rosanna. "I wish I could! I will need
to know how if she decides to let me join the Girl Scouts."

"I am no Girl Scout myself," said Uncle Robert, "but I have a medal