“Yes, aunt Elsie:  we think it is the best thing that could have happened to us,” replied Max.

Evelyn joined them at that moment; so they said good-by, and started on their way back to Ion.

“Eva,” said Max, “have you heard about Woodburn?”

“No; what about it?”

“It’s for sale, and perhaps papa will buy it.”

“Oh, how nice that would be!” she exclaimed.  “I’ve been there with aunt Elsie, and it’s just a lovely place!  It has a rather neglected look now; but it wouldn’t take long to remedy that, and then it would be quite as handsome as Ion or Fairview, or any other place about here.  Aren’t you happy, Lu?”

“I shall be if papa gets it; but the best thing of all is, that he is to be with us all the time.”

“Yes, of course,” sighed Evelyn, thinking of the happy days when she had her father with her.  “Lu,” she said presently, “I know you are not to be sent away; but where are you to go to school?”

“To papa,” replied Lulu, with a glad look and smile.

Evelyn sighed again.  “The only part I regret,” she remarked, “is that we have to give up being together in our studies,—­you and I. Unless,” she added the next moment, as if struck by a sudden thought, “your father would take me as a pupil too.  But I wouldn’t dare to ask it.”

“I would,” said Max:  “I dare ask papa almost any thing,—­unless it was leave to do something wrong,—­and I’ll undertake to sound him on the subject.”

“I’m not afraid to ask him, either,” said Lulu; “and he’s so kind, I do believe he’ll say yes, or at least that he’ll do it if everybody else is agreed.  Have you seen him, Eva?”

“Yes; and he had such a kind, fatherly manner toward me, that I fell in love with him at once.  I believe I’d be glad to have him adopt me if he was badly in want of another daughter about my age,” she added, with a merry look and smile.

“I believe he’d be the gainer if he could swap me off for you,” said Lulu, catching her friend’s tone; “but I’m very happy in feeling quite sure he would rather have me, bad as I am, just because I am his own.”

“That makes all the difference in the world,” said Evelyn; “and perhaps, on becoming acquainted with my faults, he might think them worse than yours.”

It was not quite school-time when they reached Ion, and Evelyn proposed that they should spend the few intervening minutes in the grounds.

“I’d like to, ever so much,” said Lulu; “but papa bade me go directly to my own room on getting home.  So good-by,” and she moved on resolutely in the direction of the house.

“Good-by.  I’ll see you again when school is out, if I can,” Evelyn called after her.

Lulu’s thoughts were so full of other things, she found great difficulty in fixing them upon her lessons.  But saying to herself that it would be much too bad to fail in her first recitations to her father, she exerted her strong will to the utmost, and succeeded.  She was quite ready for him when, at length, he came in.