"That was a better dinner," said the elder, "than we'd have had at Mr.
Smith's."
"But Jacob, here," said grandma, "is not a deacon of the church."
"That doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the dinner," said the elder.
"No," said Grandma Thorndyke dryly, "I suppose not. But now let us talk
seriously. This child"--taking Virginia's hand--"is the girl they were
searching for back there along the road."
"Ah," said the elder.
"She had perfectly good reasons for running away," went on Grandma
Thorndyke, "and she is not going back to that man. He has no claim upon
her. He is not her guardian. He is only the man who married her
sister--and as I firmly believe, killed her!"
"I wouldn't say that," said the elder.
"Now I calculate," said Grandma Thorndyke, "and unless I am corrected I
shall so report--and I dare any one to correct me!--that this
child"--squeezing Virginia's hand--"had taken refuge at some dwelling
along the road, and that this morning--not later than this morning--as
Jacob drove along into Waterloo he overtook Virginia walking into town
where she was going to seek a position of some kind. So that you two
children were together not longer than from seven this morning until
just before church. You ought not to travel on the Sabbath!"
"No, ma'am," said I; for she was attacking me.
"Now we are poor," went on Grandma Thorndyke, "but we never have starved
a winter yet; and we want a child like you to comfort us, and to help
us--and we mustn't leave you as you are any longer.
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