o dream," he said. "All these months have been the dream--and
you can wake up now."

She shivered, putting her face against him.

"Oh--it's been so long!"

Then, suddenly, she caught his hand.

"Come!" she said breathlessly. "Come quickly--to Dad!"

They ran across the park, hand in hand. Near the house Jim paused.

"I say, old chap, we can't take him by surprise," he said. "I was
going to sneak in by the back door, and get hold of Miss de Lisle and
Allenby, to tell you. Hadn't you better go and prepare him a bit?"

"Yes, of course," Norah said. "There's a light in the study: he's
always there at this time. Come in and I'll hide you in Allenby's
pantry until I ring."

They crept in by a side door, and immediately ran into the butler.

"How are you, Allenby?" Jim inquired pleasantly.

Allenby staggered back.

"It's Mr. Jim!" he gasped, turning white.

"It is," said Jim, laughing. He found the butler's hand, and shook
it. Norah left them, and went swiftly to her father's study. She
opened the door softly.

David Linton was sitting in a big armchair by the fire, bending
forward and looking into the red coals. The light fell on his face,
and showed it old and sad with a depth of sadness that even Norah had
hardly seen. He raised his head as the door opened.

"Hallo, my girl," he said, forcing a smile. "I was just beginning to
wonder where you were."

"I went across the park," Norah said nervously. Something in her
voice made her father look sharply at her.

"Is anything the matter, Norah?"

"No," she said quickly. She came close to him and put her hand on his
shoulder.

"You look as if you had seen a ghost," he said. "What is it, Norah?"

"I--I thought I had, too," she stammered. "But it was better than a
ghost. Daddy--Daddy!" she broke down, clinging to him, laughing and
crying.

"What is it?" cried David Linton. "For God's sake tell me, Norah!"
He sprang to his feet, shaking.

"He's here," she said. "He isn't dead." Suddenly she broke from him
and ran to the bell. "Jim," she said; "Jim has come back to us,
Daddy."

The door was flung open, and Jim came in, with great strides.

"Dad!"

"My boy!" said his father. They gripped each other's hands; and Norah
clung to them both, and sobbed and laughed all at once.

"Let me sit down, children," said David Linton presently; and they saw
that he was trembling. "I'm getting an old man, Jim; I didn't know
how old I was, unt