“Do you like it, my darlings?” she asked with a pleased smile.

“Oh, yes, yes! yes indeed!” they cried, jumping, dancing and clapping their hands, “dear, dear mamma, how good, how good you are to us!” and they nearly smothered her with caresses.

Releasing herself, she opened another door leading into an adjoining room which, to Eddie’s increased delight, was fitted up as a work-room for boys, with every sort of tool used by carpenters and cabinet makers.  He had such at Ion and was somewhat acquainted with their use.

“Oh what nice times Herbert and Harry and I shall have!” he exclaimed.  “What pretty things we’ll make!  Mamma, I don’t know how to thank you and my dear father!” he added, catching her hand and pressing it to his lips with passionate affection.

“Be good and obedient to us, kind and affectionate to your brothers, sisters and playmates,” she said, stroking his hair:  “that is the kind of thanks we want, my boy; we have no greater joy than to see our children good and happy.”

“If we don’t be, it’s just our own fault, and we’re ever so wicked and bad!” cried Vi, vehemently.

Mamma smiled at her little girl’s impetuosity, then in grave, tender tones, said, “And is there not some One else more deserving of love and thanks than even papa and mamma?”

“God, our kind heavenly Father,” murmured little Elsie, happy, grateful tears shining in her soft eyes.

“Yes, it is from his kind hand all our blessings come.”

“I love God,” said Harold, “and so does Fank:  Mamma, can Fank come up here to play wis me?”

“Yes, indeed:  Frank is a dear, good little boy, and I like to have you together.”

Mamma unlocked the door of a large light closet, as she spoke, and the children, looking eagerly in, saw that its shelves were filled with beautiful toys.

“Grandma’s things!” they said softly.

“Yes, these are what my dear mother played with when she was a little girl like Elsie and Vi” said mamma.  “You may look at them.”

There was a large babyhouse, beautifully furnished; there were many dolls of various sizes, and little chests and trunks full of nicely made clothes for them to wear—­night-clothes, morning wrappers, gay silks and lovely white dresses, bonnets and hats, shoes and stockings too, and ribbons and laces, for the lady dolls; and for the gentlemen, coats, hats, vests, cravats and everything that real grown-up men wear; and for the baby dolls there were many suits of beautiful baby clothes; and all made so that they could be easily taken off and put on again.

There were cradles to rock the babies in, and coaches for them to ride in; there were dinner and tea-sets of the finest china and of solid silver; indeed almost everything in the shape of toys that the childish heart could desire.

The lonely little girl had not lacked for any pleasure that money could procure:  but she had hungered for that best earthly gift—­the love of father, mother, brothers and sisters—­which can be neither bought nor sold.