“there is one thing i don’t understand,” remarked aunt charlotte at the breakfast table, “and that is how one of the grayson servants happened to come over here to ask about the children yesterday.”

“it was thompson, i guess,” said caro who was eating her oatmeal, stopping every other minute to smile at her grandfather.

“who is thompson?” he asked.

“he is the one who takes care of walter, and he is very nice. why grandpa, he is almost as good as kellar; he can do all sorts of sleight-of-hand tricks!”

“but how do you know anything about him or walter either?” asked aunt charlotte.

then caro remembered that she had not told anyone about all that had gone on in the garden, and she couldn’t think where to begin.

[70]“can’t you answer your aunt,” said her grandfather.

“why yes—aunt charlotte,—i know them,—i got acquainted with them a long time ago.”

“with walter grayson? why no one ever sees him; you must be mistaken,” miss barrows exclaimed.

“but i went to see him,” said caro. “it wasn’t wrong, was it grandpa? you know you said to be a candle was to take a little cheer to lonely people—and i was sure he must be lonely. i thought maybe he’d like to see trolley ’cause he lived there once, so i took him. do you think it was wrong?”

“my dear i don’t know what to say—” the president put down his knife and fork and looked at aunt charlotte, and then at his granddaughter. “you mean to say you took the cat to see walter grayson?”

caro nodded; “yes, grandpa.”

“i’d like to know what she’ll do next!” cried miss barrows.

“but how did he treat you?” questioned her grandfather. “did he tell you you were an officious little girl?”

[71]“i think he liked to see me, ’cause after that we had a picnic.”

in the midst of these explanations a note was brought in to the president. it read:

“dear dr. barrows,—if you can spare the time will you not come to see me within the next day or two? i am anxious to have a talk with you. if you have forgotten the way caro will come with you i am sure.

“your friend,

“walter grayson.”

dr. barrows read it aloud, and then looked at his sister again.

“grandpa he must think you are pretty stupid if you could forget that little way,” caro said laughing.

“i fear i am rather stupid sometimes,” he said smiling; “well pigeon we’ll go over there after lunch.”

so it came about that caro and her grandfather hand in hand, went over to the grayson’s that afternoon. dr. barrows still felt puzzled, and half believed he was dreaming, but his granddaughter was very wide awake indeed.[72] she quite hoped they would see haughty miss elizabeth again, for with her grandfather beside her she was ready to face anything.

the lady however was not to be seen, and they found walter alone in the library.

“my dear boy,” was all the president said as he grasped the hand stretched out to him.

“there’s not much left of me, but what there is is very glad to see you,” was walter’s greeting.

it was well that caro was there to help out the conversation at first, her grandfather was kept so busy clearing his glasses. she was as full of life as the gray squirrel she resembled.

“did you know we got lost yesterday?” she asked.

“yes; though i didn’t hear it till you were found. what were you doing in the chapel?”

“it was open you know and so we went in to look at annette’s window.”

“and weren’t you afraid when you found the door shut?”

“yes, a little, when it began to get dark—and marjorie was too. i thought it would be so dreadfully dark after a while, and then the electric light shone out, straight through the[73] window! we could see the good shepherd just as plain as day, and i wasn’t afraid any longer; then pretty soon they found us.”

“‘for sudden the worst turns the best to the brave,’”

walter quoted, smiling at dr. barrows.

“particularly when they are looking in the right direction,” he answered.

“i suppose caro has told you how we became acquainted,” walter said; “and i have found it so pleasant to have a friend that i want more—i want my old friends again. i can’t be of any use—” he was silent for a minute, then went on, “i asked you to come because i knew you could help me. my sister has given her consent to anything i wish, but it is hard for her.”

“she will be happier in the end. she is too fine a woman to shut herself in—the world needs her,” answered dr. barrows.

“she is good, nobody knows it so well as i,” said walter.

“and now my boy anything i can do i will do gladly,” the president added.

“it is just to let my friends know that i[74] shall be glad to see them, and that on our side all feeling about the old quarrel is put away. and” he added almost gaily, “i think i shall get caro to help me with a christmas party.”

“a christmas party here? how lovely!” she cried dancing up and down.

“i should like to see the old house look really cheerful again. do you remember the parties we used to have when we were children, dr. barrows?”

“do you mean a tree, and santa claus?” caro asked coming to walter’s side after whirling around the room.

“certainly, and all the other things that belong to christmas,” was his reply.

caro rather changed her mind about miss elizabeth who met them in the hall as they were leaving.

“dr. barrows,” she said holding out her hand, “i know what walter has said to you—perhaps i have been wrong—i don’t know, but i should never acknowledge it except for him—”

the president interrupted her, “my dear,”—and caro wondered how he could call anyone[75] so stately my dear,—“say no more. let us simply forget that anything ever came between us.”

and then miss elizabeth turned to caro and took her hand; “this is your granddaughter, elinor’s child,” she said, “i hope she will come often to see my brother, he has taken a great fancy to her.”

when they reached home aunt charlotte met them with a letter in her hand. “what do you think? elinor writes that she will probably spend christmas with us!”

“is mamma coming? how perfectly lovely! oh grandpa aren’t you glad?” caro was so full of delight she could hardly listen to her mother’s letter in which mrs. holland said that as they could not get their family together at home, she would come to spend the holidays at her father’s with caro, while mr. holland joined the boys.

“i believe it is going to be the best christmas that ever happened,” caro exclaimed.

the weeks before christmas were merry ones. as if to make up for his delay winter came in earnest with a heavy snow followed by[76] freezing weather, which made endless fun for the children. to caro snow that lay on the ground for any length of time was a delightful novelty, and she wanted to be out from morning till night.

the cold kept walter grayson housed for the greater part of the time but he was enlivened by frequent visits from the children. for his benefit they built a remarkable snow man on the lawn outside the library windows and miss elizabeth said not a word, although her order-loving eyes found the grotesque object almost painful. it amused walter, and so she could endure it.

he and caro spent hours over plans for the christmas party, to which his sister had offered no objection, but she asked no questions and shrank from having anything to do with it.

the days flew by as they always do at this time of year, with so much to prepare for and look forward to.

“trolley,” caro said one evening, “i am sorry for you, because you don’t know what fun christmas is. just think! mamma is coming to-morrow, and charlie and alice, and we are going to have the best time!”

trolley only purred contentedly. all days were alike to him, if he had plenty to eat and a comfortable nap, and the society of his friends.