Boys -- Juvenile fiction; London (England) -- Juvenile fiction; Runaway children -- Juvenile fiction
"No," was the answer. "Stay, though, I think I did see a little red mark
on his shoulder. But it was nothing much."
"Oh, thank you," said Miss Elton joyously, though her eyes were brimming
over with tears. "No, I mustn't say anything yet; but, Mrs. Blair, will
you bring the children up to my house this afternoon? This is my address,"
handing her a card. "You can get an omnibus near here that will take you
all the way to West Kensington."
Having Mrs. Blair's promise that she would be there in good time,
Miss Elton hastened home. Her brother had not yet returned,
but she could settle to nothing till he came. She wandered about from the
library to the drawing-room, then up to the nursery, where she caught
Gladys up in her arms and danced with her about the room, while the little
one screamed with delight.
At last the door-bell rang, and she rushed down to meet her brother in the
hall.
"Well, dear," she cried, "what news?"
"My dear Winnie," replied her brother, "you are a perfect tornado.
Let me get inside;"
"Be quick, then," was the answer, and she pulled him into the drawing-room.
Seating himself in a chair, he proceeded to give her an account of his
morning's work. When he arrived at Primrose Place he could not find any
trace of the man Brown. An old woman who lived in the same house said that
he had left the place soon after the boys went away. She said she
remembered the children quite well, but she did not think they were
brothers, because she knew a young woman came there about five years ago,
bringing a baby with her, which she left. Mrs. Brown always gave out that
it was her own, but she didn't ever remember her having a baby, and she
didn't think it was her own. Brown himself was doing two years in gaol at
the time Mrs. Brown died soon after he came out. She said that the
children led a dreadful life with the man, and she was glad when they went
away. "So you see, Winnie," he concluded, "that is all I could find out,
and it is not enough to go upon."
"Ah, well," she replied, shaking her head, "Willie is coming here this
afternoon, and then you will see. I am certain 'we have found Bertram."
And so sure was she, that her next business was to order the carriage and
set off to the shop to buy a suit for Willie. Everything that the boy
could possibly, want in the shape of underclothes was bought, and then the
little velvet suit that Nora Graham had suggested, with the lace collar,
was added.
Precisely at three o'clock Mrs. Blair appeared with the children.
Little Gladys was delighted to see Willie, and would sit next to him at the
table while they had some tea. Mr. Elton came in and looked at them,
and he, too, was struck with the likeness between the children.
After tea Miss Elton took Willie to the nursery saying she had some clothes
for him and she wanted to see them on.
"Here, nurse," she said to the servant who was waiting; "this is the little
boy I told you about."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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