Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/184

110 “I tried to once.” said Marcella, “but the city was so big—”

“Oh, oh,” groaned the judge, “and all this time I have been so lonely!”

And then Lisbeth tucked her hand into his.

“But you will never be lonely any mire, grandfather,” she said.

And he was n’t; for he took Marcella and Lisbeth home with him that very night, and the next day the McGafneys had all of the chicken for themselves and Marcella and Lisbeth ate turkey and plum-pudding in the judge’s great diningroom; and that night, as the happy three sat in the library in front of a roaring fire, Lisbeth laid her head on her grandfather’s shoulder.

“It was lucky I was locked in, grandfather,” she said, “or you might not have found us.”

But the judge, with one arm around her waist and the other reached out to Marcella. shook his head.

“Don’t talk of luck, dearie.” he said, “It was something more than that; it was Providence.”