To his delight she replied, with swimming eyes.
“My heart has been hungry for such words these eighteen years, Leon—hungry for the love that I threw away in my blindness—hungry for forgiveness that I dared not ask because I feared denial!”
“My darling!” and he was on his knees by her side, his arms opening to draw her back to her old shelter against his heart.
Gladly the dark head nestled there and in an hour all was explained and forgiven between them while hope came back to nestle in their hearts.
“We can be married again on the same day as Frank and Cora,” Mrs. Dalrymple exclaimed happily.
CHAPTER XL.
DEEDS OF KINDNESS.
When Dalrymple tore himself away at last to prosecute the search for his daughter, it occurred to him to seek her at the home of Mrs. Godfrey, the aunt of his little nephews, Willie and Mark.
It was a great disappointment to him that she had heard nothing of Jessie, but after all he had hardly expected it. A forlorn hope had led him there, coupled with the desire to see his little nephews.
When the little lads were led in to him their chief interest in their new-found uncle was that he was the father of their loved Cousin Jessie. They plied him with anxious questions about her, to which he could only answer sadly that she had gone away for a while, but he hoped she would come back soon.
His first thought was for Mrs. Godfrey, whose care of his nephews he felt was deserving of a fair reward, so he presented her with a check for a thousand dollars.