It was Mrs. Brown who said this. Melina looked at her eagerly; then exclaimed, with a brightening face and in a tone of relief:
"Oh yes! Then I am sure I prayed in my heart!"
After breakfast, when Mr. Brown had gone to the railway station again, accompanied by the boys, who intended to go on to the scene of the fire, Mr. Jones arrived and had an interview with Mrs. Brown. He did not stay long; and directly he had taken his departure, Mrs. Brown went upstairs to Melina, who was with Agnes in the latter's bedroom.
"Your neighbour, Mr. Jones, has been here, Melina," she began gravely; "he desired me to tell you that your grandmother has been severely burnt about the body and is suffering from shock; you see, she is a very old woman—"
"Oh, is she going to die?" gasped Melina.
There had been a time, not long since, when the thought of her grandmother's death would not have moved her in the least; but now she was deeply agitated. God's love had softened her heart, and she burst into tears.
"Oh, how dreadful if she should die!" she sobbed, as Mrs. Brown hesitated to reply; "why, only last night she was drunk! Oh, she is not fit to die—poor Gran!"
Agnes put her arms around her friend and tried to comfort her, and by and by Melina regained her composure. Then Mrs. Brown spoke again. "I have something more to tell you, Melina," she said,—"something that will be a great surprise for you. Your father has returned."
"My father has returned! Oh, are you sure? Yes, yes, I see you are! Oh, where is he? When did he come?"
"He arrived at Hawstock last night, and went straight to his mother's. It was rather late and Mrs. Berryman would not go to the door to him; she did not guess who he was, I suppose—he had not written to say he was coming—"