After the meal was over the two visitors found a corner in which to hold a conference.

“Wife,” said Uncle Josh, “Charlie’s too bright a young fellow to be left to grow up in this way.  Suppose we take him home with us for a while?”

“There’s nothing I would like better,” responded Aunt Jane, whose motherly heart was yet sore with grief for her own little Charlie, who had been laid in the church-yard years before.

When Mrs. Upton again emerged from the depths of the kitchen they repeated the proposal to her, and gained her assent at once.

Charlie was next to be informed, but that was not an easy matter.  The boy could nowhere be found.

“Perhaps he’s gone to school,” suggested Aunt Jane.

“No, I told him that since he had to be absent this morning he might as well be absent all day.  He’s somewhere about.”

A prolonged search ended in the barn, where Charlie at last was found, trying to whittle a ruler out of a piece of kindling-wood.  He wished to draw maps and had mislaid or lost most of the articles necessary for the work.

“Charlie!” exclaimed his mother, “Uncle Josh and Aunt Jane want to take you home with them for a long visit.  We’ve been looking all over for you.  I’ve been putting your best clothes in a bag, but you’ll have to be careful about holding it shut, because I can’t find the key.  Now hurry and dress yourself if you want to go.”

Charlie gave a loud whistle of delight and hastened to the house to arrange his toilet.  He washed his face and hands, brushed his hair, put on a clean collar, and then went to the kitchen to blacken his shoes.  He expected to find them on his feet, but lo! there were only the slippers and rubbers, donned in the forenoon and forgotten until now.

“Ma! where are my shoes?” he called in stentorian tones.  Mrs. Upton replied from above stairs, where she was putting a stitch in her son’s cap:  “I don’t know—­haven’t seen them.”

“Well, I left them in the kitchen last night.  Here, Maria, help a fellow, won’t you?  I can’t find my shoes and it’s nearly train time.  There’s Jenkins at the door now.”

The united efforts of all present resulted in finding the shoes entangled in an afghan which Mrs. Upton had unintentionally placed in the heap in the closet when she relieved the sofa of its burden.

“Here they are at last.  Bravo!” shouted Charlie.  Yet his joy was short lived.  One shoe wouldn’t go on.  He had slipped it off on the previous night without unfastening.  There were several knots in the string, and all were unmanageable.  He struggled breathlessly while Uncle Josh and Aunt Jane were getting into the cab, then broke the string in desperation just as Jenkins, hearing the car-whistle, drove off to reach the train.

“Very sorry!  Can’t wait another instant!” called out Uncle Josh.  Charlie, having repaired damages as best he could, reached the front door in time to see the back of the carriage away down the street.