She threw her arm round his neck, and drew him down closer.
"Dear, dear papa!" she sobbed: "you are the best father in the world! and oh, I wish I was a better girl! Do you think I--I'm a curse to you now ?" "I think--I believe you are going to be a very great blessing to me, my own darling," he answered in tones tremulous with emotion.

"I fear I was hard and cruel in what I said when I came to you that first time last night." "No, papa, I deserved it every bit; but it 'most broke my heart, because I love you so.

Oh, I do want to be a blessing to you, and I mean to try with all my might!" "My dear little girl, my own little daughter, that is all I can ask," he said, repeating his caresses.
Then he covered her up with tender care, and left her, weary and exhausted with the mental suffering of the last two days, but with a heart singing for joy over his restored affection and the assurance of the baby's final recovery.
She expected to stay awake till he came again, but in less than five minutes was fast asleep.
The captain found Max and Gracie hovering near as he passed out into the hall.
"Papa," they said, coming hastily forward, "may we go in to see Lulu now ?" Max adding, "I was too angry with her at first to want to see her, but I've got over that now." Grace: "And mayn't she know now that we're going to keep you always at home ?" taking his hand in both of hers, and looking up coaxingly into his face.
"No, my dears, not to-night," he said: "she has cried herself sick--has a bad headache, and I want her to try to sleep it off." "Poor Lu! she must have been feeling awfully all this time," Max said.
"I wish I hadn't been so very angry with her." "You look very happy--you two," their father said, smiling down at them.
"So do you, sir," returned Max; "and I'm so glad, for you've been looking heart-broken ever since you came home." "Pretty much as I have felt," he sighed, patting Gracie's cheek as he spoke.
"We are just as happy as we can be, papa," she said; "only I"-- "Well ?" he said inquiringly as she paused, leaving her sentence unfinished.
"I'm just hungry to sit on your knee a little while; but," ruefully, "I s'pose you haven't time." "Come into the nursery with me, and you shall sit there as long as you like, and are willing to keep perfectly quiet, so as not to disturb baby." "Oh! thank you, papa," she returned joyously, slipping her hand into his.

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse." "I hope my turn will come to-morrow," remarked Max.

"I've a hundred questions I want to ask." "As many as you like, my boy, when I have time to listen; though I don't promise to answer them all to your entire satisfaction," his father replied, as he passed on into the nursery, taking Grace with him.
Max went down-stairs, where he found Evelyn Leland sitting alone in one of the parlors, waiting till her aunt Elsie should be ready to go back to Fairview.
"Max," she said, as he came in, and took a seat at her side, "you have just the nicest kind of a father!" "Yes, that's so!" he returned heartily: "there couldn't be a better one." "I wish he would let me see Lu," Evelyn went on: "I was in hopes he would after the doctor had told him the baby was sure to get well." "I think he would, but that Lu has cried herself sick, and he wants her to sleep off her headache.