Suddenly a little figure reached his side, soft hands clasped his, and Maddie demanded: “Did you forget God? Granny did—she was sorry—she told me ‘God will take care o’ you!’ and He did. Did you tell Dorothy, ‘God will take care o’ you?’ ’Cause if you did, she will know about it and won’t be afraid.”
Timothy drew the little girl to his side. “Maddie,” he said, “Dorothy knows God—she has always known Him.”
“Then,” said Maddie, “let’s not be frightened any more. He will take care o’ her.”
Mr. Douglas sat down with a new light in his eyes, “Yes, Maddie, God will take care of her, I am certain He will. She understood so well—and in her own way explained to me,—‘Love never faileth.’ I had forgotten.”
The doctor leaned forward and patted his old friend’s hand.
Timothy stole softly up to the tower and lighted the Christmas candles.
Mr. Stanley’s eyes rested longingly on Maddie. “Somewhere,” he said, “I have a little daughter. I have not seen her for about six years. I have gone around the world following clues, but because I think as Maddie does, I am still expecting to find her.
“My wife and I were on the ill-fated Steamship M——. We were picked up by different vessels and for a time each believed the other lost. The baby we have never found. My wife thinks a sailor took the baby when helping her into the life-boat.”
Mr. Douglas leaned forward and looked earnestly into the wonderful eyes of the speaker.
“How old was the child?”