"It was a forlorn little group which at last, late one evening,--they had purposely concealed themselves till late in the woods hard by, `our own woods,' said Edmee and Pierre joyously, where to the boy every path, every tree almost, had been familiar from infancy,--approached the forester's cottage at the extreme end of the village. They had not ventured to pass along the main street, but made a round which brought them in by the other side; for since their terrible fright Pierre had grown doubly cautious. "`They may have come here and be waiting to take them,' he thought, though he did not say so to his two poor tired charges. And even when within a stone's throw of the cottage he made Edmee and her cousin wait in a little copse while he went forward to reconnoitre. And these few minutes' waiting, my mother has often said, seemed to her the most trying part of the whole journey. "With what joy did she hear Pierre's footsteps in return, and his voice exclaiming eagerly, `It is all right! come quickly. Ah, here is my mother behind me.' "And so it was. Poor Madame Germain had found it impossible to wait in the cottage--here she was, crying and sobbing, and yet smiling through her tears. "`My children! my children! whom I had given up hoping ever to see again!' she exclaimed, clasping Edmee to her arms, forgetful of everything except that she had again her precious nursling, her little lady, whose life she had so many years ago saved by her devotion! "But to poor Edmee the loving clasp of those motherly arms brought an agonising remembrance. "`Dear, dear mamma Germain,' she said. `Do you know--has Pierrot told you all--about my sweet mother?' "`I know--he told me. Oh, my darling, how I grieve for you! But she is happy--and thank heaven her death was as it was. And now she will rejoice to see you safe--at last, my Edmee--after all your weary journeying. And Monsieur Edmond too,' she added, turning to the poor boy. `Welcome, a thousand times welcome, to the best we can give you.' "And the last vestige of his foolish pride melted out of the poor boy's heart, as he impulsively threw himself into the kind motherly arms. `Kiss me too,' he said, `for Pierre's sake--Pierre, who has saved my life.' "You may be sure Madame Germain did not need twice asking to do so. `Poor boy, poor boy, the most desolate of all,' she said to herself; `for he has not even a happy past to look back to.'