Martha was still in the hall and could not see who was in the living-room with Mr. Dalken, but the four conspirators now stood staring at the group in the center of the lighted room.
Mr. and Mrs. Ashby were seated in comfortable armchairs, smiling happily at the two standing men and about to make the baby comfortable. He had been transferred from Mr. Dalken's arms to those of a younger man who was trembling with joy at beholding Billy's smiling little face.
"There, now, Martin. Isn't he worth living for? You said you wanted to die, when you found your wife was gone. But let me tell you, my boy, this baby ought to make you brace up." Mr. Dalken patted the strange young man on the shoulder, and just then Martha burst into the room.
"Jimmy! Oh, Jimmy--is it you, or is it someone who looks like my dead Jimmy?"
"Aunt Martha--Dear Aunt Martha--it is your own Jimmy. I was a long time coming home, but here I am at last!"
Then Polly and Eleanor learned the true story about their precious Billy who was, according to them, to have adopted Mr. Dalken for a father.
"Girls, I appreciate your great sacrifice to try and make me happy, for I have heard from the Ashbys how much you wanted to keep Billy, but you felt that he ought to belong to me. Seeing that he came so near to being mine, I shall always take a great interest in him and his relatives," began Mr. Dalken, while Jimmy Martin and Martha went into the other room to be alone with the baby.
"You see, Mrs. Ashby is at the bottom of this plot and having roped in her husband to believe just as she did, the next step was to make the whole plan seem accidental.
"So, when Martha was left with the baby, she called on Mrs. Ashby for help. Seeing that the boy had brown eyes and was named Billy, my anxious friend decided that he was what I ought to have to cheer me. Martha was boarded in a country home until I prepared to go west on my business trip.
"Just about that time, you found an unknown babe on your door-step, but had we been able to look behind the scenes, I think you would have seen the Ashby's car down on the corner, and Martha anxiously waiting to see if you took Billy in, all right.
"After that, Billy made his own way with you people, as he is apt to make it with everyone. And what was so natural, as that you should fall in with Mr. Fabian's well-learned lesson. The Ashbys made him memorize just what to say and to do it every day.