"It's all over," repeated the little woman. "All the worry, all
the poverty, all the uncertainty, all the hard times."

Mr. Sherwood looked startled indeed. He had no idea what the
letter from Scotland contained, and he feared that his wife, who
had already suffered so much, was for the moment quite out of her
head.

"My poor Jessie," he began, but her low, sweet laugh stopped him.

"Not poor! Never poor again, Robert!" she cried. "God is very
good to us. At the very darkest hour He has shown us the dawn.
Robert, we are rich!"

"Great goodness, Jessie! What do you mean? Exclaimed Mr.
Sherwood, stumbling to his feet at last.

"It's true! It's true, Papa Sherwood!" Nan cried, clapping her
hands. "Don't you call ten thousand dollars riches?"

"Ten, thousand, dollars?" murmured her father. He put his hand
to his head and looked confusedly about for a seat, into which he
weakly dropped. Nan had picked up the letter and now she
dramatically thrust it into his hand.

"Read that, Papa Sherwood!" she said commandingly.

He read the communication from the Scotch attorney, first with
immense surprise, then with profound doubt. Who but a young