had given her the address of his lawyer and
told her to go to him if she were ever in trouble. What more could he
have done? She was ashamed of her want of trust in him. It comforted her
to remember the firm clasp of his hand and the steadfast look in his
eyes.

He was her husband, and they were going to live happily ever after!
Before he came back she would make herself into a lady. She walked into
the house quite steadily and stooped to kiss the twins.

"We're all going for a ride this afternoon," she told them. "A lovely
ride right down into the country."

The twins clung clamouring round her. "In the country! On a bus?" they
asked in one voice.

Faith laughed happily.

"No," she said, "we're going to have a taxicab."

Mrs. Ledley, coming from the kitchen, heard the words.

"Faith! You shouldn't promise them such things, when you know it's
impossible." She rebuked her daughter wearily. "You've got new shoes to
buy out of your money this week, and there's the gas to pay...."

Faith smiled and dimpled. The pendulum had swung the other way now, and
she was hugging her secret to her breast delightedly.

"I'm not going back to Heeler's any more," she said.

"Not going back!" Mrs. Ledley stared at her helplessly for a moment;
then she burst into tears.

"I knew something had happened," she sobbed. "I knew you hadn't been
yourself all this week. What have you done, Faith, that they've sent you
away just when you were settling down so nicely?"

"I haven't done anything," said Faith. "At least ... nothing you will
mind. And I wasn't sent away. I left on my own account."

Mrs. Ledley went on crying.

She sobbed out that she wished she was dead, that she did not see what
was the use of going on living.

Faith went down on her knees beside her and the twins held hands and
cried for sympathy.

"There's nothing to cry for, mother," Faith urged, kissing her. "There's
only something to be glad about. Such a wonderful thing has happened.
It's like a...." Like a novelette, she had been going to add, but she
remembered the way the Beggar Man had said that he did not like the
expression, and changed it to "a fairy story" instead.

She drew her mother's hands down from her face.

"You'll be able to live happily ever after," she said excitedly. Her
eyes shone like stars. "We're going to be rich--all of us. We can go
away from London and live in the country. And the twins can go to a
lovely school and have really pr