"Oh!" she said, "this is what I have prayed for. God has heard me, and it is come. My beautiful princess has come. You are my beautiful princess, and I shall always love you. I will get Brian to buy lots of things; he will be here after school. Does the gentleman know?"
"Yes, he brought me."
"Then I shall love him, too; you are both good. I shall try and make father know you brought the money; but he does not understand much now. Hark! he is calling—he is awake!"
Norah hastened back to her post, and Griselda followed her.
Leslie Travers had been standing by the sick man's bed, and Griselda, ashamed of her feelings of repulsion and shrinking, took her place by his side.
Suddenly a flash of intelligence came into those large dark eyes, and the man started up and gazed at Griselda, repeating:
"Who is she?—who is she?"
"The dear beautiful lady who has brought us all we want. Thank her, father—thank her!"
"Thank her!" he repeated. "Who is she?"
Then an exceeding bitter cry echoed through the rafters of the chamber as if it would pierce the very roof. And with that cry the man fell back on his pillow, saying: