Then she said no more, had no vocabulary with which to say more. She felt both sorrow and gladness, but most of all she felt the pains of growth. There were tears in her eyes, then on her cheeks.
When on the way to the hotel her father asked whether she had liked it, she answered his question in a curious way.
"I wish Matthew would come back to us!"
The identical desire filled Levis's heart.
"I wish so, too. Perhaps you can persuade him."
"May I take him a Christmas present and speak to him then?"
"Certainly. To-morrow we'll find one for him."
The carefully chosen present was a picture which reminded Ellen of the view from Matthew's window. It was clear to Levis why she liked it, but he had small hopes that either persuasion or art would move Matthew.
"May I get a pair of gloves for Grandfather and something for Amos?"
"Yes, if you wish."