"There is nothing left to wish for," said Pickles. "It"s just the best thing in all the world for little Giles to get quite well up in heaven.
Ain"t it now?" he added, looking at Father John.
"Yes," said Father John very briefly. Then he turned to Connie.
"You must never forget all that you have lived through, Connie," he said. "You"ll be a better and a braver girl just because of these dark days."
"She"s the best wench on "arth," said Harris.
Suddenly Ronald sprang forward and spoke.
"Uncle Stephen said I was to tell you he has bought the cottage in the country where Mrs. Cricket lives and he"s adding to it and making it most beautiful, and dear Mrs. Cricket is to be housekeeper, and you"re all to come down in the summer--all of you--even Giles; and Giles is to stay there as long as he lives. Uncle Stephen is a splendid man,"
continued Ronald. "It was after him my darling V. C. father took when he became so great and brave and manly, and I love Uncle Stephen better than any one except father. Father hasn"t come home yet, and perhaps I won"t see him until Giles sees his father. But I"m a very, very happy boy, and it"s all because of Uncle Stephen. Now, the rest of you can be happy too in my cottage--Uncle Stephen says it _is_ my cottage--in the beautiful country."
These things came to pa.s.s, and even Giles went for a short time to the beautiful country, where the flowers grew in such abundance, and where the birds sang all day long.
"Now you can guess," he said to Sue after they had been there a fortnight or more, "some little bit about the joys of the Land of Pure Delight."