Clematis would have liked to know more about the man who could leave such a lovely place, but the horse started on again. Soon they turned into another road, and before long were turning back toward the village. All the way along, Clematis could see the blue mountains in the distance. She could not take her eyes from them. "Well, there is your house," said the man, at last, pointing to a neat, white house. Clematis looked all about. Yes, there were gardens, and flowers, and fields, and trees. There was a cow down by a little brook. Everything she had hoped to find was there. There was a tall maple beside the house. "Well, this is Clematis, I guess," said a lady, coming down the path. "Thank you very much, Mr. Ladd. I see she came right side up." She took the bag Mr. Ladd handed down, and reached for the box that Clematis still hugged in her lap. Clematis started to explain, but Mrs. Alder did not wait. She was nervous and quick. She pulled the box out of her hands. "Why Clematis, what is in this box?" Mrs. Alder looked at it in surprise. Clematis did not answer. She gasped, and turned red as a rooster's comb. "It's her money, Mrs. Alder," said Mr. Ladd, laughing. "She has it tied up for safe keeping. The conductor told me so." Mrs. Alder lifted one corner of the box to peep in. There was a scratching sound, and then out popped a little white, furry head, with sharp ears, and one black eye. It was Deborah. CHAPTER XIV THE COUNTRY When Mr. Ladd saw the little white head peep out, he put his head back and laughed. "I pity the rats in your barn now, Mrs. Alder," he shouted. Mrs. Alder frowned at first, but when she looked at Clematis, and saw her anxious face, she smiled. "What on earth made you bring that cat way up here?" she asked. "She's my own cat. I was afraid to leave her at the Home all alone. Would you like to leave your cat alone, where people might throw it away while you were gone?" Just then a tall man with a gray beard walked up. "Never mind, Mary," he said. "We have plenty of milk in the dairy, and plenty of rats in the barn." By this time Clematis had Deborah safe in her arms, and Mr. Alder led the way to the house, while Mr. Ladd drove off, laughing as he went. "Well, you can take the cat down to the barn. I won't have it in the house," said Mrs. Alder. "All right, we'll find a place for her," said Mr. Alder. He took Clematis by the hand, and they went down to the barn. A gray horse poked his head from a box stall to look at the little visitor, and a little red hen called her chickens, and hastened away, clucking, as if she were very angry. Clematis turned to look at her. "Did you ever have any chickens?" asked Mr. Alder. "Oh, no, I never saw any." Clematis could not take her eyes from the little chicks, as they ran after their anxious mother. "We have lots of things to show you here. Let's put your cat up in the loft now."