“Then there’s your singing.  I don’t believe there ever was a mortal with a sweeter voice than yours, and while that doesn’t prove anything, there is a point that does.  The little training you had from that choirmaster won’t account for the wonderful accent and ease with which you sing.  Somewhere in your close blood is a marvelously trained vocalist; we every one of us believe that, Freckles.

“Why does my father refer to you constantly as being of fine perceptions and honor?  Because you are, Freckles.  Why does the Bird Woman leave her precious work and come here to help look after you?  I never heard of her losing any time over anyone else.  It’s because she loves you.  And why does Mr. McLean turn all of his valuable business over to hired men and watch you personally?  And why is he hunting excuses every day to spend money on you?  My father says McLean is full Scotch-close with a dollar.  He is a hard-headed business man, Freckles, and he is doing it because he finds you worthy of it.  Worthy of all we all can do and more than we know how to do, dear heart!  Freckles, are you listening to me?  Oh! won’t you see it?  Won’t you believe it?”

“Oh, Angel!” chattered the bewildered Freckles, “are you truly maning it?  Could it be?”

“Of course it could,” flashed the Angel, “because it just is!”

“But you can’t prove it,” wailed Freckles.  “It ain’t giving me a name, or me honor!”

“Freckles,” said the Angel sternly, “you are unreasonable!  Why, I did prove every word I said!  Everything proves it!  You look here!  If you knew for sure that I could give you a name and your honor, and prove to you that your mother did love you, why, then, would you just go to breathing like perpetual motion and hang on for dear life and get well?”

A bright light shone in Freckles’ eyes.

“If I knew that, Angel,” he said solemnly, “you couldn’t be killing me if you felled the biggest tree in the Limberlost smash on me!”

“Then you go right to work,” said the Angel, “and before night I’ll prove one thing to you:  I can show you easily enough how much your mother loved you.  That will be the first step, and then the remainder will all come.  If my father and Mr. McLean are so anxious to spend some money, I’ll give them a chance.  I don’t see why we haven’t comprehended how you felt and so have been at work weeks ago.  We’ve been awfully selfish.  We’ve all been so comfortable, we never stopped to think what other people were suffering before our eyes.  None of us has understood.  I’ll hire the finest detective in Chicago, and we’ll go to work together.  This is nothing compared with things people do find out.  We’ll go at it, beak and claw, and we’ll show you a thing or two.”

Freckles caught her sleeve.

“Me mother, Angel!  Me mother!” he marveled hoarsely.  “Did you say you could be finding out today if me mother loved me?  How?  Oh, Angel!  Nothing matters, if only me mother didn’t do it!”