Sabrina sat down grimly beside her--no thunder storm came to North Hero that it did not bring unpleasant memories to them both. "Is it--going to be--very bad?" Miss Milly asked plaintively. "I wish Nancy--was home." "Maybe it'll go around," assured her sister with as much tenderness as she was capable of showing. At that moment the door opened slowly and B'lindy, a strangely softened look on her old face tip-toed in, carrying in her arms the baby, sound asleep. "I just brought it up for Miss Milly to see, it's that cute!" she explained, in a whisper. "The poor little thing," Aunt Milly timidly touched the moist chubby hand. B'lindy, with the air of having accomplished some great feat, laid the baby carefully upon the couch. "Fed its _poor_ little stomick and it dropped right off to sleep--it'll forget things now," she said proudly. With a different feeling in each of their hearts the three women stared for a moment at the sleeping baby. Miss Sabrina spoke first. Her voice was cold and crisp. "Take that baby right out of here, B'lindy, and get Jonathan to carry it back where it came from." A rumble of thunder, closer and louder, startled them. Miss Milly sat bolt upright, white-faced, and reached out a hand. "Oh--_sister_! _Not_ in the storm!" B'lindy rose majestically and towered over her mistress. When, down behind her shut doors, that baby had gone to sleep in B'lindy's arms, something had wakened in her sixty-year old heart; it throbbed in her voice now. She spoke slowly. "I guess the _Almighty_ sent Davy Hopworth here with this poor little young 'un! Like as not it would go hungry more'n once, and if three women here can't take care of a little baby--well, the Lord that suffered little children to come unto Him like's not will hold us to 'count for it! I guess Happy House would be a heap happier if there was less high and mightiness and more of the human milk of kindness in it, and doin' for others like little Miss Anne's always tryin' to do, anyway!" And quite breathless from her outburst B'lindy knelt beside the baby and defiantly folded sheltering arms over it. For the briefest of moments no one stirred. Then Miss Sabrina rose hurriedly, and, mumbling something incoherent, left the room. Across the baby B'lindy's eyes, feverishly bright, met Miss Milly's anxious glance. "Don't know what she said, but, Milly Leavitt, sure's I'm alive I saw a _tear_ in Sabriny Leavitt's eye! I guess we keep this baby." CHAPTER XXII REAL LEAVITTS AND OTHERS The storm overtook Peter and Nancy on a lonely road that Peter had taken as a short-cut home. At a sharp flash of lightning Nancy clutched Peter's arm. "Pe-ter! Oh-h! It's silly for me to be afraid! It's only when it crackles!" "I thought we could make Freedom before it broke. But I guess not. Here comes the rain!" It came, in a blinding deluge. "Sit close to me, Nancy. We must get to a house _somewhere_ along this road!"