Without warning Gareth released his hold on Sidney’s fingers, and the new “companion” slipped back away and sat down in a chair which Irene had quickly placed within his reach.

Mrs. Vaisey was busily wiping Gareth’s face and mouth free of crumbs and spittle. It was as if she dared not now look at Sidney. Yet finally she did turn from her “charge,” and advancing a few steps in the direction of the “caretaker” she addressed him almost in a singing tone: “You are priceless . . . I cannot believe my good fortune if you will only stay . . . I had never dreamed anyone like you would come to us . . . I will always be in your debt.”

She then left the room and remained outside the billowing curtain. He barely was listening to her sobs and cries for Gareth was gazing at his new companion with a look of such intense and terrible command that Sidney, deaf now to the happy grief of the mother outside, approached the boy and quickly bending down kissed him on the mouth, a kiss that was as quickly returned.

Sidney came down the endless succession of stairs extremely slowly. Irene Vaisey was waiting at the foot of the staircase, her left hand, which bore an immense yellow stone, was resting on the ancient newel post.

“You look terribly tired, my dear fellow.” She spoke in her rather hard dry voice now. The look of worry and concern for him was wonderfully soothing.

“I’m more . . . happy than tired,” he told her.

She waited a moment for his remark to settle with her, then replied: “You have every reason to be.”

Irene led the way into the dining hall, and from there into a small adjoining alcove. “We’ll be more comfortable in here,” she explained. “You’re positively sure you’re all right?” she returned to the subject of his health.

As a matter of fact he was trembling all over, but his health was not the source of his agitation.

She rang a bell (in this house every room had a bell for summoning somebody).

“Will you have some hot chocolate?”

“Oh, anything,” he spoke almost deliriously she felt. Then he smiled and this smile meant more to her than anything she had received from anybody in years, as her son’s kiss had meant to him.

The maid came again and Mrs. Vaisey issued rather lengthy instructions, none of which he even heard.

“If you will stay,” her voice reached him as if from some parapet, “you will make me the happiest Mother in the world. . . . You don’t know what happiness was mine when I saw Gareth took to you at once . . . You see he could never bear anybody except me even to touch him until today. . . . He let you feed him . . . an entire piece of bread! . . . I do believe he would have eaten the entire loaf from your hands.”