"Cassie, this is your grandfather and grandmother."

The girl turned frightened eyes towards her grandparents. Despite her extreme youth she suddenly felt uneasy and suspicious.

"Hello, Grandmother. Grandfather."

They were in their fifties. Mr Sullivan was a proper gentleman, his smart tailored suit looked completely out of place in this rancher's house. He carried a cane and frequently swirled his moustache. His wife sat next to him primly, her dark blue velvet skirts spread around her.

"Hello, Cassandra," she said. "We've yearned to see you for so long."

"So my Papa is your little boy?"

"That's right. Although he's not so little any more!"

"He's in prison, you know. He was naughty and Sheriff Coffee said he must be in prison."

"We tried, Mr Cartwright," Mr Sullivan sighed. "Our son was lost to us a long time ago. I do not know where we went wrong."

"These things do happen," Ben murmured.

"If you knew how my wife grieved!" He glanced at her as she looked down at her hands and bit her lip. "The tears she has shed! I cursed my son for causing her so much pain!"

Ben did not know what to say.

"He was our only child, you see, Mr Cartwright," she faltered. "He got in with a bad lot when he was young. My husband tried to correct him but nothing worked. Then one day he was gone."

"Of course, we heard the rumors. Of his wildness, his drinking, his...womanizing. We heard he'd left the territory, hooked up with a wagon trail. The last we heard of him he was in Texas and taken up with a Mexican girl."

"Francesca," said Ben.

"That's my Mama!" Cassie cried, reaching up to him. She had decided she did not like their guests, grandparents or no grandparents. She clung to Ben even harder.

"Where is your mother, Cassandra?" Mr Sullivan asked.

"She's dead, sir."

"I'm sorry to hear that, child," her grandmother said kindly. "You must miss your Mama very much."

"Yes'm, I do. She was kind to me, not like..." She stopped herself and looked at Ben.

"We're aware of our son's mistreatment. What he did. He was never treated like that as a boy and I find it hard to believe he'd inflict such ill use on a child."

"He was cruel to Mama, too."

"Was he?" Mrs Sullivan paled.

"A lot of it was down to drink, I think, Mrs Sullivan," said Roy.

"That is no excuse!" Mr Sullivan exclaimed. "As far I'm concerned, I have no son!"

"EDMUND!" She jumped to her feet. "How can you say such a thing?"

"I say it because it's true. A drunkard, a bully, wife-beater, child-beater, thief! And now he's behind bars. Did we raise him that way, Mildred? Tell me, did we?"

"He's my son, he's my son!" She was sobbing brokenly as if her heart would break. "You have no right to say that! He's my son! I...he...he was such a lovely child!"

Her cries were terrible to hear. Her husband eventually took her in his arms. "I'm sorry, darling. Please forgive me. I don't know what I'm saying."

Ben and Roy looked away, embarrassed. But Cassie struggled to get down and approached her. She was nervous, afraid and she did not know what was happening but she knew grief when she saw it. She tentatively put her hand on the lady's.

"Please don't cry, Grandmother. Please don't."

"Oh, child, child!" She knelt down to her level and embraced her passionately. "Do...do you ever think you could love me?"

"I...I don't know."

"Cassie," Ben said gently.

"No, Mr Cartwright, she's right. She's never seen me before. How can she know what she feels, faced with two strangers? But she is my blood. She is my son's blood. Maybe...maybe I can put right the mistake I made with William. I must've made some mistake...I don't know what it was."

"No, Mildred, you didn't make a mistake. Neither did I. It's just that Will...got lost. He got lost along the way."

Ben knew then he was going to have to say good-bye to his little charge. He gave Roy a broken look. He had come to love her so much. He saw his friend watching him sympathetically. Ben had not yet told Cassie she was leaving them. He had not told his own children. He had not even told Hop Sing.

"Mr Sullivan...ma'am. I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything, Mr Cartwright, anything." said Mr Sullivan. "We can never thank you enough for what you've done for our little girl."

"Cassie was a delight. She became part of the family, we love her. We always will. Cassie, honey, I want you to do something for me."

"Yes, Uncle Ben?"

"I want you to do an errand for me."

Cassie felt very important. "Yes, Uncle Ben?"

"I want you to ask Hop Sing to get the buckboard ready."

"I'm going out in the buckboard?!"

"You certainly are. You must wrap up warmly, though, because it's cold."

"Oh, boy!"

She went to run to the kitchen and he restrained her, laughing,

"What a minute, honey! I haven't finished yet!" She was jumping in excitement, straining to run to Hop Sing. "I want you to go into town and meet Joe and Scamp when they come out of school. I've spoken to Miss Jones and it's all alright. That's why you didn't go to school today, because your Grandma and Grandpa wanted to see you. I want you to tell them they have come here and that you've seen them. Tell them I want to talk to them. Hop Sing!"

"Yes, Mr Ben?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Me, Mr Ben?"

"Yes, you! Don't kid me, you old goat, you hear everything!"

"Hop Sing know nothing. He hear nothing. He just cook. Come on, Cassie."

The four watched them as they got ready.

"Goodbye, Uncle Ben! Goodbye...Grandmother...Grandfather."

"Goodbye, child."

And they were gone.