no wedding ring on it.

Presently her patient recovered herself.

'Look you now, my dear; you aren't noways fit to go back to London
to-day. If you was my child you shouldn't do it for all the gold in
the Indies, no, nor you sha'n't now. I shouldn't have a wink of
sleep this night if I let you go, and if anything were to happen to
you it would be me as 'ud have to answer for it.'

'But I must go; my mother and sister will not know what has become of
me.'

'You leave that to me; I tell you again as you can't go. I've been a
mother myself, and I haven't had children for nothing. I was just a-
goin' to send a little parcel up to my daughter by the coach, and her
husband's a-goin' to meet it. She'd left something behind last week
when she was with me, and I thought I'd get a bit of fresh butter
here for her and put along with it. They make better butter in the
farm in the bottom there, than they do at Great Oakhurst. A note
inside now will get to your mother all right; you have a bit of
something to eat and drink here, and you'll be able to walk along of
me just into Letherhead, and then you can ride to Great Oakhurst;
it's only about two miles, and you can stay there all night.'

Madge was greatly touched; she took Mrs Caffyn's hands in hers,
pressed them both and consented. She was very weary, and the stamp
on Mrs Caffyn's countenance was indubitable; it was evidently no
forgery, but of royal mintage. They walked slowly to Letherhead, and
there they found the carrier's cart, which took them to Great