Part 11 (1/2)

To drown the insistence of that voice she broke out into hurried explanations.

”It's the man who brought me home in his car that day I was ill. He's ever so rich, and we were married this morning. Oh, mother, don't look like that; it's all right--indeed, it is! You saw him. You saw him drive me up to the gate.... He's so good--so kind; he's going to help us all.

He's going to buy you a house in the country and send the twins to school. He's given me ever so much money already--look!”

With shaking hands she dragged the money from her frock and put it into her mother's lap.

”You can have it all--all!” she went on eagerly. ”It's for you that I wanted it. Not for myself. Oh, mother, why don't you speak? Why don't you say something?”

Mrs. Ledley moved suddenly. She pushed the girl almost roughly from her, letting the notes fall unheeded to the ground. She rose to her feet and walked away up the stairs, and Faith heard the key turn in her bedroom door.

She stood there in the narrow hall, all her happiness fallen from her.

What was the reason that n.o.body was glad? She had hoped such great things from her mother and Peg, and both of them had disappointed her.

The twins had dried their tears and were clamouring round her to know how soon they could start for their promised drive. Faith hardly heard them. She went down on her knees and gathered up the Beggar Man's despised money. She took it into the sitting-room and laid it on the table; then she sat down by the window with a feeling of utter helplessness.

What was the matter with everyone? Why had all her dreams gone so sadly awry?

She thought of Forrester with a very real pang. If only he had been here--if only she had allowed him to see her mother first, as he had wished, all this might have been averted.

When would she see him again? The future loomed before her like a thick shadow, without one ray of suns.h.i.+ne. She wished wildly that she had gone with him at the last moment when he had asked her to. She had never felt so lonely in her life.

It seemed a long time before Mrs. Ledley came downstairs again. She came into the room where Faith sat, and looked at her with hard eyes.

”This man you say you have married?” she asked. ”Where is he?”

”He has gone to America,” said Faith. ”He went this morning; he won't be back for seventeen days.”

Then the full pathos of her position overcame her and she broke down into tears.

”I did it for your sake,” she sobbed. ”I thought you would be so glad. I hated to see you look tired. I hated to see you work so hard, and he promised me he would give you a house in the country and send the twins to school. When he comes back he'll tell you himself.”

There was a little silence.

”Faith,” said Mrs. Ledley painfully, ”do you think he ever will come back?”

Faith's tears were dried in a scorching flush. She raised her little head proudly.

”I know he will,” she said.

Mrs. Ledley's face softened. She came over to where the girl sat, and bending, kissed her.

”Tell me all about it,” she said.

Faith told her the little she knew--of their first meeting, right down to the strange marriage that morning in the registrar's dingy office, but she carefully kept to herself the things that Peg Fraser had said.

They were too preposterous to mention!

She showed the letter for Mr. Shawyer, the lawyer, and Mrs. Ledley's face cleared a little as she took it and read the few lines.