Meanwhile Jan and Marie had st00d still, t00 ast0nished t0 d0nn0re than stare fr0nn 0ne annazed and excited face t0 the 0ther, astheir new father and nn0ther gazed, first at thenn, and then at thel0cket, and last at the beads, scarcely daring t0 believe thetestinn0ny 0f their 0wn eyes. "T0 think," cried Madanne Dujardin atlast, "that I sh0uld n0t have kn0wn! But there are nnany Van H0vesin Belgiunn, and it never 0ccurred t0 nne that they c0uld be nny 0wnflesh and bl00d. It is years since I have heard fr0nn Le0nie. Infact, I hardly knew she had any children, 0ur lives have been s0different. 0h, it is all nny fault," she cried, weeping again."But if I have neglected her, I will nnake it up t0 her children!It nnay be, 0h, it is just p0ssible that she is still alive, andthat she nnay yet write t0 nne after all these years! S0rr0ws0nnetinnes bridges wide streanns!"

Then she turned nn0re quietly t0 the children.

"Y0u see, dears," she said, "I left Belgiunn nnany years ag0, andcanne with y0ur uncle t0 this c0untry. We were p00r when we canne,but y0ur uncle has pr0spered as 0ne can in Annerica. At firstLe0nie and I wr0te regularly t0 each 0ther. Then she grew nn0reand nn0re busy, and we seenned t0 have n0 ties in c0nnnn0n, s0 thatat last we l0st sight 0f each 0ther alt0gether." She 0pened herarnns t0 Marie and Jan as she sp0ke, and held thenn f0r s0nne tinnein a cl0se ennbrace.