"
She _is_ a brave little soul after all, he thought, as he waved his
hand, and hurried off to the stable; but that is a woman's courage--cry
one moment and make a joke the next.
Mrs. Dunlop, who was not as far distant from home as her son had
supposed, entered the house a few minutes after his departure,
followed by the servant, both bearing great baskets of raspberries.
The two women were sufficiently astonished at sight of the unexpected
and most unfortunate guest; but Allan's mother would scarcely allow
Rose to pronounce a word of her penitent confession. It was enough for
her to know that here was an opportunity for her to relieve suffering,
and she improved it with characteristic tact and delicacy. The
open-eyed and open-mouthed maid was sent on various small missions of
mercy, which she attacked with zeal, in the hope that thereby in some
way her abounding thirst for information might be assuaged.
Very soon after, the quiet farm-house became the rendezvous of an
unusual number of strangers. Helene and Edward, who had returned to
see if Allan could tell them anything concerning the whereabouts of
the missing girl, came first.
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