"You leave the little girl in my charge," said the doctor to Martin. "I will see her home. You will not have any too much time to hunt up your friends and so we need not tax you further. Thank you, Martin, for your kindness to our little girl."
He held out his hand and gave Martin's a hearty grip.
"Thank you so much, Martin," said Ruth. "The doctor knows the way to my house and he can take me."
"I'll come around for you to-morrow in time," said Martin as he bade the child good-bye.
But Ruth did not heed. For her there was no to-morrow, if it meant a return journey.
She skipped along by the side of the doctor till they came in sight of the little brown house. Then the child's desire out-ran the doctor's pace.
"Oh, would you mind if I went on?" she asked. "I can't stand it, if I don't."
The doctor loosed his clasp of her hand and she sped like an arrow toward the house. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the latch of the gate. She heard a sharp excited bark from Stray. It was a waste of time to knock at the front door, and she flew around to the kitchen bursting in half laughing, half crying.
"I've come back! I've come back!" she cried.
Stray precipitated himself upon her with joyful yelps of welcome. Billy stopped in his task of setting the table to rush forward calling: