I met her at the gate and asked, "What's the matter with the children?"
"Go into the house, Emily De-mond, 'taint the children, it's me." She wanted us all to sit down together.
"Oh! dear, dear me, what can I do? I'm out of my head almost."
We gathered together in the middle room, and waited for her to tell us, but she sat rocking, as if her life depended on it, full five minutes before she could speak—it seemed an hour to me—finally she screamed out:
"He's come back!"
"Whom do you mean?" I cried, while mother and Aunt Hildy exchanged glances.
"He came last night; he's over to the Home, Miss Patten, d'ye hear?"
"Jane," said Aunt Hildy in a voice that sounded so far away it frightened me, "do you mean Daniel?"
"Yes, yes; he's come back, and he wants me to forgive him, and I must tell it, he wants me to marry him. I sat up all night talkin' and thinkin' what I can do."
"Jane," said Aunt Hildy, in that same strange voice, "has he got any news?"