She had not understood until that very moment how many true friends she had or how warm a place in her heart that old house had taken.

It was with a curious maternal emotion that clouded her eyes with tears that she stood for a moment and kissed her hands to the right and left like a young queen to her subjects.

Then she ran along the familiar path through the woods to the spot where she had been found by Martin and stood once more facing the sweep of open country and the distant horizon beyond which lay the Eldorado of her girl's dreams.

She was still a girl, but she had come back hurt and sorry and ashamed.

Martin might have lost his faith in her.