"'That's Chrissy!' he cried, starting up in bed, and stretching out his arms with trembling eagerness. 'And me to say this Christmas-day would bring me no good!' "He fell back on his pillow, and burst into a flood of tears. "I rushed down to the door, and reached it before the servant. I stared. There stood a girl about the size of Chrissy, with an old battered bonnet on, and a ragged shawl. She was standing on the door-step, trembling. I felt she was trembling somehow, for I don't think I saw it. She had Chrissy's eyes too, I thought; but the light was dim now, for the evening was coming on. "All this passed through my mind in a moment, during which she stood silent. "'What is it?' I said, in a tremor of expectation. "'Charlie, don't you know me?' she said, and burst into tears. "We were in each other's arms in a moment--for the first time. But Chrissy is my wife now. I led her up stairs in triumph, and into my uncle's room. "'I knew it was my lamb!' he cried, stretching out his arms, and trying to lift himself up, only he was too weak. "Chrissy flew to his arms. She was very dirty, and her clothes had such a smell of poverty! But there she lay in my uncle's bosom, both of them sobbing, for a long time; and when at last she withdrew, she tumbled down on the floor, and there she lay motionless. I was in a dreadful fright, but my mother came in at the moment, while I was trying to put some brandy within her cold lips, and got her into a warm bath, and put her to bed. "In the morning she was much better, though the doctor would not let her get up for a day or two. I think, however, that was partly for my uncle's sake. "When at length she entered the room one morning, dressed in her own nice clothes, for there were plenty in the wardrobe in her room, my uncle stretched out his arms to her once more, and said: "'Ah! Chrissy, I thought I was going to have my own way, an die on Christmas-day; but it would have been one too soon, before I had found you, my darling." END OF THE SECOND VOLUME End of Project Gutenberg's Adela Cathcart, Vol. 2, by George MacDonald