"Oh, how delighted, how happy Lu will be when she hears it!" she exclaimed; "for, do you know, sir, she thinks there is nobody in the world to compare to her father ?" Those words brought a glad look into his face for the moment.
"Yes," he said, "she is a warm-hearted, affectionate child; a dear child, in spite of her quick temper." A door had opened and closed: a step was coming down the hall, and a cheerful voice in his rear said, "Captain, I have good news for you: there has been a great, a really wonderful change for the better in the last hour; the child will live, and I hope, I believe, entirely recover from the injuries caused by her fall." Before the doctor's sentence was finished, the captain had turned, and caught his hand in a vice-like grasp: his eyes filled, his breast heaved with emotions too big for utterance; he shook the hand warmly, dropped it, and, without a word, hurried into the nursery.
He found nearly the whole family gathered there, every face full of a great gladness.
The doctor, however, following him in, speedily cleared the room of all but two or three: only the two Elsies, besides himself and the parents, were left.
Violet looked up at her husband as he entered, with a face so bright and joyous that it recalled the days of their honeymoon.
"Oh, how happy I am! how good God has been to us!" she whispered, as he bent down to kiss her: "our darling is spared to us! See how sweetly she is sleeping!" "Yes," he returned, in the same low tone, his features working with emotion: "and what double reason for joy and gratitude have I--the father of both the injurer and the injured!" "Forgive me that I have felt a little hard to Lulu.

I can and do forgive her now," she said, her sweet eyes looking penitently into his.
"Darling," he returned with emotion, "I have nothing to forgive, but shall be very glad if you can find any love in your heart, after this, for my wayward child, little as she merits it." Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned to Mrs.Leland with a brotherly greeting, not having seen her before since his arrival at Ion.
"Vi has told me the glad tidings you brought her yesterday," she said, as he held her hand in his; "and I can't tell you how delighted we all are to know that you have come to stay among us." "And now I can rejoice in that to the full, my dear, dear husband," Violet said, dropping her head on his shoulder as he sat down by her side, and put his arm about her.
For a little while they all sat silently watching the sleeping babe; then Arthur glanced at the clock, and, with a low-toned promise to be back in an hour, rose, and left the room.
"Excuse me for a little, dear," the captain said to Violet, and softly followed Arthur out to the hall.
"Can you spare me a moment ?" he asked.
"Yes, full five of them, if necessary," was the jovial reply.
Arthur's heart was so light in consequence of the improvement in his young patient, that a jest came readily to his lips.
"Thank you," returned the captain warmly, then went on to describe Lulu's condition, and ask what should be done for her.
"Relieve her mind as speedily as possible with the good news of the certainty of the baby's recovery, and, if you choose, the other glad tidings you brought us yesterday," Arthur answered.

"The mental strain of the past two days has evidently been too much for her: she must have suffered greatly from grief, remorse, and terror.

Relief from those will be the best medicine she could have, and probably work a speedy cure.
Good-evening." He hurried away, and the captain went at once to Lulu.
She was on the bed where he had left her, but, at the opening of the door, started up, and turned to him with a look of wild affright.
"Papa!" she cried breathlessly, "is--is the baby ?--Oh, no! for how glad your face is!" "Yes, baby is very much better; in fact, quite out of danger, the doctor thinks.

And you?
have you not slept ?" he asked, bending over her in tender solicitude; for she had fallen back on her pillow, and was sobbing as if her heart would break, weeping for joy as she had before wept with sorrow, remorse, and penitence.
He lifted her from the bed, and sat down with her in his arms.
"Don't cry so, daughter, dear," he said soothingly, softly caressing her hair and cheek: "it will make your head ache still more." "I can't help it, papa: I'm so glad, so very, very glad!" she sobbed; "so glad the dear baby will get well, and that I--I'm not a murderess.
Papa, won't you thank God for me ?" "Yes," he said with emotion,--"for you and myself and all of us." When they had risen from their knees, "Now I hope you can sleep a while, and afterward eat some supper," he said, lifting her, and gently laying her on the bed again.
"O papa! I wish you could stay with me a little longer," she cried, clinging to his hand.
"I cannot stay now, daughter," he said; "but I will come in again to bid you good-night." He leaned over her, and kissed her several times.