“Mildred Arnold Jennison!  Mildred Arnold Jennison!” she repeated over and over.  “I don’t know her; I can hardly believe she really exists; it seems more like one of the many vagaries of ’Wild Jennie’ who was ever fond of imagining herself some poor little princess in disguise.”

And thus, by the time she reached home, she had worked herself to the highest pitch of nervous excitement, which culminated in Katherine’s arms, and which she was patiently trying to overcome when we left them to take our “backward glance.”

CHAPTER XXVI.

Conclusion.

By the time Jennie had given Katherine a brief outline of what had occurred during the afternoon, the dinner bell sounded and warned them that they must put aside romance and startling revelations for the present and come down to the more practical and prosaic affairs of life.

“But, Katherine, I can’t go down,” Jennie exclaimed as she sprang to the mirror and saw her red and swollen eyes.  “I look a perfect fright.”

“Well, of course, you need not; I will send you up something nice, and you can rest and try to compose yourself, for you will want to tell us all more of this wonderful story by and by,” Katherine considerately returned as she arose from her kneeling posture to obey the summons from below.

“But you may set the ball rolling, dearie.  I want them all to know, and they must have thought I had a queer ‘bee in my bonnet’ when I got home.”

“Very well, I will formally announce the advent of our new guest, Miss Mildred Arnold Jennison, if you wish, and I know that everyone will heartily rejoice with you,” was the smiling reply.

Jennie threw her arms impulsively around her friend, “Oh, Katherine! how good you always are to me!” she cried.  “What a blessed thing it was for me that you chose to go to Hilton!  If you hadn’t I wouldn’t have known about Science—­I never should have come to Boston, and then I would have missed to-day, an—­”

“Oh, Jennie!  Jennie!  God governs all; He has more ways than one of leading His children, and when they are ready for the Truth it is always revealed to them,” chidingly interposed her friend, but dropping a fond kiss upon the flushed cheek nearest her.

“Well, but it was you who made me ‘ready’ for it,” the girl persisted.  “You were so dear yourself you made me want to be dear, too, and so my heart opened to receive the Truth.  And, Katherine"- -impressively—­“every day since I got your letter, just after auntie went away, I have said over to myself what you wrote me, and tried to believe it.  It was this:  ’Your identity is not lost; you are God’s child, and that child can never be deprived of her birthright, or any other good necessary to her happiness and well-being’; only I put it in the first person.”

“Dear, you have made it a true prayer, and to-day you have received in part the answer to it,” said Katherine, softly.