at length all too soon for uncle bob and hannah, and indeed far sooner than jean and giusippe had realized, october came, and the time for starting for pittsburgh was at hand. to the young people their departure was not without its anticipations. jean longed to see beacon and uncle tom, and giusippe burned with eagerness to take up the position his uncle had secured for him at mr. curtis's factory.

"how odd it is, giusippe," jean mused one day, "that we each have an uncle waiting for us. and besides that you have an aunt, too, haven't you? i wish i had. i'd love to have an aunt! as it is i have only beacon."

"maybe you'll have one some day," was giusippe's vaguely consoling answer. "but anyway i shouldn't think you would care much. you have miss cartright, and she is almost as good as an aunt."

"i suppose she is something like one," admitted jean, "only, you see, she doesn't live where i do, so i can't see her very often. of course she has sent me nice letters since she got home to new york and sometimes she writes uncle bob, too; but it isn't really like seeing her. when i think that the day after to-morrow she is to meet us in new york it seems too good to be true. won't it be fun? i love miss cartright! do you suppose she looks just the same as she did when she was with us on the steamer?"

"i suppose so. your uncle said she did when he saw her in new york."

"i know it. he has had lots of chances to see her because he has been over there so many times on business trips. i wish we had. but we shall see her now, anyway. oh, i am so glad!" jean whirled enthusiastically round the room. "i think we are to have a pretty nice visit in new york if we do all the things uncle bob is planning to. he says he is going to take us to the studio of one of his friends and show us how stained glass windows are made. i shall like to see that, sha'n't you?"

so the boy and girl chattered on little dreaming, in the delight of the pleasures in store for them, how lonely at heart were mr. cabot and poor hannah.

"if it wasn't that jean is coming back in the spring i should be completely inconsolable," lamented hannah. "i cannot bear to part with the child. but she will surely be back again, won't she, mr. bob? there won't be any other plan made? you'll certainly insist that mr. curtis send her home to us in may, won't you?"

"there, there, hannah, dry your eyes. of course jean will be back. i have no more mind to lose her than you have. no one knows how i love that child! i'd no more let her leave my home than i would cut off my right hand," was mr. cabot's vehement reply.