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Updated: June 14, 2025
Ledley stared at her helplessly, then something in the girl's face, its immature look and innocent eyes, swept the anger and bitterness from her heart. She took Faith on to her lap as if she had still been a child, and the two kissed and cried together. Mrs. Ledley did not believe Faith would ever see the Beggar Man again. She thought she knew only too well the type of man he was.
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.
There was something old and sad in her heart which would never leave her again she knew. She listened apathetically while Mrs. Ledley spoke of her husband. "You haven't forgotten him, Faith? You haven't so soon forgotten your father? He was so good to you. He loved you all so much. This man ruined him and caused his death. I know that my little girl could not love such a man."
She gave one look at the white face of the woman they were carrying home and screamed, hiding her face with distraught hands. Mrs. Ledley was dead. She had been walking along quite naturally, so they said, and suddenly had been seen to fall. There was nothing to be done. Hard work and sorrow and bitterness had taken their toll of her strength and ended her life. Faith could not shed a tear.
She answered nervously that her mother did not know yet, but that she was going to tell her when she got home. Peg said "Humph!" and added that she did not think Mrs. Ledley would be particularly pleased. "Are you ashamed of the man or what?" she demanded bluntly. "He can't be much of a chap not to have wanted to see your mother." Again Faith rushed eagerly to his defence. "He did want to.
"Scammel!" she said hoarsely. "Ralph Scammel! Is that the man my daughter has married?" "It is merely an assumed name," Mr. Shawyer said quickly. "For business purposes." Mrs. Ledley was breathing fast. It was with difficulty that she at length found her voice. "Ralph Scammel is the man who ruined my husband," she said.
Now, take my advice and go home, and you will find that already your mother has repented of her hasty words." Faith shook her head. "I don't think so," she said slowly. She knew her mother well in many ways, and she knew the bitter and relentless hatred with which Mrs. Ledley had always regarded the "bad man," as the twins called him. He had robbed her of all happiness.
A volley of questions greeted her from all sides. "What's your name?" "Where do you come from?" "Who took you on?" She shrank back a little from their good-natured inquisition. She answered their questions at random nervously. "My name's Faith Ledley.... I live in Poplar.... I just applied, and the manager said he'd give me a trial."
We can go away from London and live in the country. And the twins can go to a lovely school and have really pretty frocks. Oh, smile, darling, smile, and say you're glad!" Mrs. Ledley looked up. "I think you must be ill or dreaming," she said with a sob. "What is the good of talking such nonsense, Faith? How do you think such things can ever come true?"
If he had returned to England he had found her wedding ring and the returned money and had understood what she meant. Perhaps even he had repented as much as she, long before he got back home. Or perhaps he was still abroad! That would be best of all, if she could only be sure that the sea was still dividing them. Five days after Nicholas was due to return Mrs. Ledley spoke of him.
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