Before the doctor’s sentence was finished, the captain had turned, and caught his hand in a vice-like grasp:  his eyes filled, his breast heaved with emotions too big for utterance; he shook the hand warmly, dropped it, and, without a word, hurried into the nursery.

He found nearly the whole family gathered there, every face full of a great gladness.

The doctor, however, following him in, speedily cleared the room of all but two or three:  only the two Elsies, besides himself and the parents, were left.

Violet looked up at her husband as he entered, with a face so bright and joyous that it recalled the days of their honeymoon.

“Oh, how happy I am! how good God has been to us!” she whispered, as he bent down to kiss her:  “our darling is spared to us!  See how sweetly she is sleeping!”

“Yes,” he returned, in the same low tone, his features working with emotion:  “and what double reason for joy and gratitude have I—­the father of both the injurer and the injured!”

“Forgive me that I have felt a little hard to Lulu.  I can and do forgive her now,” she said, her sweet eyes looking penitently into his.

“Darling,” he returned with emotion, “I have nothing to forgive, but shall be very glad if you can find any love in your heart, after this, for my wayward child, little as she merits it.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned to Mrs. Leland with a brotherly greeting, not having seen her before since his arrival at Ion.

“Vi has told me the glad tidings you brought her yesterday,” she said, as he held her hand in his; “and I can’t tell you how delighted we all are to know that you have come to stay among us.”

“And now I can rejoice in that to the full, my dear, dear husband,” Violet said, dropping her head on his shoulder as he sat down by her side, and put his arm about her.

For a little while they all sat silently watching the sleeping babe; then Arthur glanced at the clock, and, with a low-toned promise to be back in an hour, rose, and left the room.

“Excuse me for a little, dear,” the captain said to Violet, and softly followed Arthur out to the hall.

“Can you spare me a moment?” he asked.

“Yes, full five of them, if necessary,” was the jovial reply.

Arthur’s heart was so light in consequence of the improvement in his young patient, that a jest came readily to his lips.

“Thank you,” returned the captain warmly, then went on to describe Lulu’s condition, and ask what should be done for her.

“Relieve her mind as speedily as possible with the good news of the certainty of the baby’s recovery, and, if you choose, the other glad tidings you brought us yesterday,” Arthur answered.  “The mental strain of the past two days has evidently been too much for her:  she must have suffered greatly from grief, remorse, and terror.  Relief from those will be the best medicine she could have, and probably work a speedy cure.  Good-evening.”