Mrs. Acton did not stop to read the whole
of this letter at once, but as soon as she saw
the intelligence that Robert was found, she
started up, calling upon Louis to tell her
what had been done with the child.
Mrs. Barnes had him in the hall, and the
next minute he was clasped to his mother's
breast.
`My dear, dear boy!' she exclaimed, covering
his face with kisses; `I thank God
that you have been restored to me—I thank
God!'
`That ugly woman carried me off!' said
the boy, looking up into his mother's face.
`She took away my clothes too; but a good
man gave me some new ones and sent me
home! He was a good man, wasn't he,
mother?'
`Yes, yes!' answered Maria, hastily.
And now, when Edith came to embrace
the happy boy, Maria caught up the letter
she had dropped, and brushing away the
tears of joy that bedimmed her eyes, read it
through, stopping from time to time to
glance around upon her child, as if to make
sure that it was not all a dream.
Meanwhile Louis stood waiting.
Maria sat down at the table, and with a
trembling hand, penned a brief note of
thanks, which ran thus:
