Part 14 (1/2)

Grandmother had been crying.

”What is that you say, my dear?” asked the Major. ”She is gone?”

”Yes. The children cannot find her.”

Then the Major left Grandmother and Margot alone, while he went out to search for Jeanne.

And Grandmother held Margot very close, while she repeated the tale that the Major had just told her.

”And so, my dear little Margot,” she added, ”Jeanne is your own cousin.”

Margot could not speak. Her heart was too full. She only hugged Grandmother like a little bear. Then, more like a swift jack rabbit, she flew out of the house. She flew out in search of Jeanne, her own cousin.

All the d'Artrots were looking for Jeanne, but Margot came upon her first.

Jeanne was kneeling beside a crooked little brown cross. There were flowers on it.

Jeanne had made the crooked little brown cross herself, and she was praying. She had made it for her soldier daddy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: JEANNE WAS KNEELING BESIDE A CROOKED LITTLE BROWN CROSS]

Margot came up behind Jeanne.

”What are you doing, Jeanne?” she asked.

Jeanne thought she had never before seen Margot's face this way. It seemed that Margot was about to cry, but not the usual Margot cry.

She was not acting spoiled. She was not commanding anything. She seemed so sweet and kind and sympathetic.

”I--I was praying,” said Jeanne. ”But what are you doing here, Margot?”

Margot sat down beside the little, black-ap.r.o.ned figure and took Jeanne's hand.

”I came to play with you, Jeanne,” she said. ”I came to tell you about a new play.”

Jeanne could not understand it at all.

With head bent, she whispered, ”But Margot dear, I have not brought Pierrot. We cannot play without Pierrot.”

Margot answered, ”We do not need Pierrot for this play. You see there is only one heroine, and that is you.”

Then Margot told a story to Jeanne--a curious story of a little baby who was kept away from her grandmother and her cousin. Yes; the baby was really kept for a number of years from a home of love and protection and made to work. She had very little time to play. She did not even know her real name. How could she? It had never been told to her.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THEN MARGOT TOLD A STORY TO JEANNE]

She told Jeanne of another little girl who lived in that home and had everything. The other little girl could have played always but didn't know how. She didn't know how to play until the first little girl came and showed her how.

Then Margot told about a kind man who received a letter from a sick lady telling what a terrible deed she had done.

The lady begged the kind man to take the little girl to his home in the country and then to send for her grandmother and little cousin.