"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive," Nancy repeated, bitterly, feeling as though the web she had made was tying her hand and foot.
B'lindy, looking in from the kitchen, saw her. B'lindy's face was strangely brightened; she gave a mysterious crook to her finger as she beckoned to Nancy to come into the kitchen.
"I set some coffee by for you--I guessed you'd be tuckered out after yesterday, ridin' round in that storm and then findin' the wallet was 'nough to tucker anybody." Before she poured the coffee she closed the door leading into the front of the house. "Miss Nancy, there's been more changes in Happy House even than findin' that wallet!"
B'lindy leaned a radiant face over Nancy.
"It's Miss Sabriny--she's been just like she was born again! I guess folks won't know her. And you'll never guess what we're goin' to have up here. _A baby!_"
Nancy was frankly astonished. Then B'lindy told her what, in the excitement of the afternoon before, she had not heard--of finding the baby and Davy's note.
"I guess that little mite opened up somethin' that was all dried up in Sabriny Leavitt's heart! Seems while we was all fussin' over the mess in the settin' room Davy Hopworth come up after that baby lookin' like he'd been scared to death. And then this mornin' Sabriny Leavitt comes to me 'n asks me to go down to Timothy Hopkins with her while she asks him for that baby back. Well, we went--she couldn't even wait for me to pick up. And Timothy Hopkins refused her _flat_! You wouldn't have believed your ears, Nancy, Sabriny Leavitt took most to cryin' and she told him how lonesome it was up to Happy House and how her whole life 'd been wasted 'cause she'd never done for others and he'd be doin' a kindness to an old woman to let her take the baby and do for it. But it wa'n't until she'd promised that she'd just sort o' bring him up and he could always go home and play with the nine others, and the nine o' them could come to Happy House's often as they wanted that he'd as much as listen. So we're goin' to have a baby!" B'lindy said it with unconcealed triumph. "Cunnin' little thing--smart's can be. You should a' seen it grab for the spoon when I was feedin' it!"