her mother. Since Mrs. Bolton's
last visit to Folking there had been some correspondence maintained. A
few letters had passed, very sad on each side, in which the daughter had
assured the mother of her undying love, and in which the mother had
declared that day and night she prayed for her child. But of Caldigate,
neither on one side nor on the other had mention been made. Now Hester,
who was full of hope, and sick with hope deferred, endeavoured to
convince her mother that the entire charge against her husband had been
proved by new evidence to be false. She recapitulated all the little
details with which the diligent reader must by this time be too well
acquainted. She made quite clear, as she thought, the infamous plot by
which the envelope had been made to give false evidence, and she added
the assurance that certainly before long her dear, dearest, ill-used
husband would be restored to her. Then she went on to implore her
mother's renewed affection both for herself and him and her boy,
promising that bygones should all be bygones; and then she ended by
declaring that though the return of her husband would make her very
happy, she could not be altogether happy unless her parents also should
be restored to her.

To this there came a crushing answer, as follows:---

'Puritan Grange, _28th September_.'

'Dearest Hester,--It was unnecessary that you should ask for a
renewal of your mother's love. There has never been a moment in
which she has not loved you,--more dearly, I fear, than one human
creature should ever love another. When I was strongest in opposing
you, I did so from love. When I watched you in the hall all those
hours, endeavouring to save you from further contact with the man
who had injured you, I did it from love. You need not doubt my love.

'But as to all the rest, I cannot agree to a word that you say. They
are plotting with false evidence to rescue the man from prison. I
will not give way to it when my soul tells me that it is untrue. As
your mother, I can only implore you to come back to me, and to save
yourself from the further evil which is coming upon you. It may be
that he will be enabled to escape, and then you will again have to
live with a husband that is no husband,--unless you will listen to
your mother's words.

'You are thinking of the good things of this world,--of a home with
all luxuries and ease, and of tr