THE AMBER HEART

The Lord chooses queer tools to do His purpose and we know that the stone

the builders rejected was took by Him to be head of the corner; but in the

case of the amber heart, it might be too much to say that the way that

particular object worked for good was His almighty idea, for the reason,

there was something a bit devious about the whole matter, and you'd be

inclined to think a woman's craft rather than the Everlasting Will was at

the bottom of the business.

And amber ain't a stone, anyhow, for while some people say 'tis sea-gulls'

tears petrified by sea water, and others, equally clever, tell me it comes

out of a whale, yet in either case you couldn't call it a mineral

substance; and let that be as it will, what sea-gulls have got to cry

about is a subject hidden from human understanding, though doubtless

they've got their troubles like all mortal flesh.

Well, there was four of 'em--two maidens and two young men--and James

White, the farmer at Hartland and Mary Jane White his sister, were two,

and Cora Dene, who lived along with her old widow aunt, Mrs. Sarah Dene,

was the third of the bunch, and Nicholas Gaunter, who worked as cowman at

Hartland Farm, came fourth.

And at the beginning of the curious tale James White was tokened to Mrs.

Dene's niece, while his cowman had got engaged to Mary Jane. Folk said

none of 'em was particular well suited, but the thing had fallen out as

such matters will, and there weren't no base of real love behind the

engagements, except in the case of White's sister.

There's no doubt James White loved Cora Dene for her cooking, as well he

might, because she was a wonder in that art. She was also a very pretty

woman, with a headpiece well furnished within as well as beautiful

without, and when she first took James, Cora honestly believed she loved

him and liked the thought of reigning at Hartland. But more than the love

of the couple had gone to the match, because Mrs. Dene, Cora's aunt, was

very wishful for it to happen on the girl's account and meant to make

other arrangements for her own comfort.

She liked Cora very well, you understand, and knew she'd miss her cooking,

if not her pretty face and her commonsense; but she had a great feeling

for a man round her house, which was lonely, and on the moor-edge by the

river, half a mile from Little Silver village, and her ambition was to

engage a married couple who could tend home and garden, poultry and pigs;

because Mrs. Dene, though fairly well to do, was an energetic creature and

liked to be busy and add to her income in a small way.

So when she learned through his sister that James White wanted Cora, she

done her best to help on the match and found the girl not unwilling. In

fact, Cora accepted Jimmy before she knew quite enough about him to do so;

and then, after she got to understand his nature and found he was

merciless about money and cruel close, and grudged a sovereign for a bit

of fun, her heart sank. Because she didn't know that love can't stem a

ruling passion, and ain't very often the ruling passion itself in a male,

and she found, as many other maidens have afore her, that a man's love

affairs don't stand between him and life, or change his character and bent

of mind.

So when she discovered that James was a miser, Cora began to see other

things, because, once there's a spot for doubt to work, the tarnish soon

spreads. James would not buy her a ring, but put five pounds in the bank

for her, which didn't interest Cora much; and that's how it stood with

them; while as to the other pair, the friction was a bit different.

You see, Nicholas Caunter, the cowman, only got interested in his master's

sister when he found she was terrible interested in him. He was very good

looking and a simple, charming sort of a man unconscious of his fine

appearance; and there's no doubt that Mary Jane fell in love with him a

week after he came to Hartland. And, when he found that out, being

heartwhole at the time and poor as a mouse, he couldn't but see that to

wed Mary Jane would be a pretty useful step; because she had her own money

and was a nice enough woman, though not very good-looking.

However, she was healthy and hearty and there was a lot of her, so Nick

told himself it all looked very promising and proper and he started making

love to her, and foxed himself presently that it was the genuine article

and there weren't nobody for him on earth but Mary Jane.

Then, a week after he'd offered for her and she'd wasted no time saying

"Yes," but was in his arms almost afore the words had got out of his

mouth, the young woman brought Nicholas acquainted with Cora Dene, because

she said it was well he should know her brother's future bride.

So there they was--Cora betrothed to James White and Mary Jane White fixed

up with Nicholas Gaunter, though he'd only been at Hartland a month. And

then the trouble began. First, Cora slowly discovered that James was close

as a shut knife; and if she'd been clever enough to read a man's mouth and

eyes, she'd have seen his character stamped upon 'em. But that was the

first secret disturbance; and then Nicholas, he got a painful jar and

found out there was only one girl on earth for him and that was Cora.

He'd never been properly in love till then, and if poor Mary Jane was a

shadow before he met t'other girl, she sank to be less than nothing at all

so soon as Nicky had seen James White's sweetheart the second time.

In a fortnight, from being an easy-going creature, very fond of cows, and

with just an ordinary eye to the main chance, Nicholas Caunter found

himself alive and tingling to the soles of his feet with a passionate

desire for Cora. Everything else in life sank out of sight, and he cussed

Providence good and hard for playing him such a cruel trick, not seeing it

was his own desire for the line of least resistance that had landed him

plighted to Mary Jane.

So you see James and his sister both well content, and reckoning in a dim

way at the back of their minds that each was going to be boss in the

married state, because the money and position was with them. And James had

reached the point when he saw himself married in another six months, after

he'd done the autumn work on his farm and could afford three days'

holiday. He reckoned such a lapse would be largely waste of time, for

money-making was his god; but a honeymoon appeared to be counted upon by

Cora, and he'd yielded reluctantly in that particular. Then Mary Jane, she

hoped to be wedded along with her brother, and counted on a very fine

holiday with Nicholas after, and even thought of going so far as London

for it.

So that's how they stood; and meantime, though Nicholas managed still to

hide his misery from Mary Jane, because they'd only been tokened a

fortnight, his heart, in truth, was long since gone to Cora. As for her,

she stood in perplexity because she liked her close lover less and less

and saw his smallness of vision and lust for the pence with growing hatred

and clearness; while, worse still, she couldn't but see that 'twas all

bunkum about Nicholas caring a straw for Mary Jane.

And far deeper than that she saw, because not only did the maiden discover

that Caunter was thinking a million times more about her than the other

girl; but to her undying amazement she found that Nicholas was working on

her heart very fierce indeed and that, though he played the game to the

best of his powers and respected her engagement and stood up for James

White and said he was a good man, though mean as an east wind and so on,

yet she very well knew what had happened to the pair of 'em, and being a

brave woman and much the cleverest of the four, she faced the situation in

secret and put it to herself in plain English.

Meantime, Cora's aunt was casting about for her own comfort, after the

girl should wed with White, and planning her arrangements without a

thought that clouds were in the sky.

And then came the amber heart into the affair, and to Cora's immense

astonishment James gave her a gift.

Him and his sister had talked on the subject of presents and she'd told

him that 'twas rather a surprise to her that Nicholas hadn't produced no

tokening ring as yet, and James had supported Nicholas in that matter, and

said money was money, and his cowman hadn't got much at best and far too

little anyway to waste ten shillings in sentiment.

"Let him keep his money for the wedding-ring," said James. "That you must

have, though even that's a silly waste in my opinion."

But Mary Jane weren't with him there, and was casting about to give

Nicholas a present herself and so lift him to give her one back; when

James White, down to Ashburton after a very successful sale, happed to

look in a window and see the amber heart.

'Twas just a honey-coloured thing carved to the familiar pattern and a bit

bigger than your thumbnail, and with a thin little silver chain hung to

it. And fired to a rash deed, he thought on Cora and went in the shop and

asked the price.

A hopeful jeweller said he could have it for ten bob, so James took a

chair and cheapened it. He sat there haggling for half an hour; and

finally he got the trinket for six shillings and six pence, and returned

to his hoss and rode home, thinking small beer of himself for a silly

piece of work.

He was a secretive sort of man and didn't whisper his purchase to nobody;

but the next Sunday, when Cora came to Hartland to tea and for a walk on

the moor and a bit of love-making after, James fetched out the prize when

they were alone. It had grown to be high summer time just then, and James

was amazed to see the crop of whortleberries lying ripe for the picking.

They made him forget all about Cora and the amber heart for a bit.

"If us have the childer out here, there's pounds and pounds of the fruit

to be picked and they run a shilling a pint at market," he said. "Pay 'em

twopence a pint for picking, and there's a five pound note for me afore

the summer's over."

Then he was pleased to see his honey bees hard at work in the heather.

"I respect a bee more than most any creature," James told Cora, "because

the insect rises above holidays and works seven days a week all its life

till it drops."

Then he minded the amber heart, and said he doubted not 'twas going to be

an heirloom in the White family, to be handed down from mother to daughter

for generations. And he warned her to take a lot of care of it, and look

cruel sharp that no misfortune ever befell the trash.

Cora thanked him very gratefully and put it on, and he said it looked very

fine and became her well; but he bade her only to wear it on great

occasions, and watch over it very close and jealous.

"There's money there," said James, and she wondered how much, but knew

exceedingly well he hadn't put no great strain on a fat purse when he

bought it.

He ordered her to keep the thing a secret for the present, and she

promised to do so; and then came on the next queer scene of the play, for

meeting with Nicholas down in Little Silver a week later, the man unfolded

his feelings a bit and give Cora a glimpse of his heart. But such were her

own feelings by then that what he hinted at didn't surprise her. In fact,

he told her what a hundred things had told her already. He dwelt on Mary

Jane first, however, and said he was a lot put about in that quarter and

shamed of himself and wishful to give her a bit of a gift for the sake of

peace.

"Such things must be done gradual and decent," he said. "'Tis clear as

light I can't marry her now, because I moved like a blind man and made a

shocking mistake; but I've only been tokened to the woman a month, though

it seems like eternity, and afore I cut loose, I must carry on a bit

longer and let the shock come gradual."

"I know very well how it is with you, Nick," she answered. "Such things

will happen and 'tis very ill-convenient; but, I'm tolerable

understanding, the more so because I'm finding myself in much the same

sort of a mess as you."

They skated on thin ice, of course, and Nicholas found silence the safest

when along with Cora; but they opened out bit by bit, and they both knew

very well by now that they was meant for each other and no other parties

whatsoever.

Then began the craft of Cora, and such was the amazing cleverness of the

woman, doubtless quickened by love, that she worked single-handed, and

whereas a lesser female might have taken Nicholas into her confidence, she

did not, but struck a far-reaching stroke for them both, all unknown by

him. She hoped it might happen as she'd planned for it to do, and reckoned

no great harm would result if it failed; but her arts and her knowledge of

Caunter's habit of mind carried her through and advanced the tricky and

parlous affair a pretty good stage.

Cora knew two or three things now and she fitted 'em together. She knew

the holiday people was apt to picnic round about on famous spots beside

the river, and she knew sometimes they would leave odds and ends behind

'em worth the picking up.

She also knew that Nicholas Caunter would smoke his pipe by the river of

an evening, when he could escape from his sweetheart, and she knew that

poor Mary Jane was worrying a bit about a token of affection from

Nicholas, which he weren't in any great hurry to produce. For, since the

crash, the cowman soon felt less and less disposed to carry on his

pretence, or do aught to encourage the false hopes of Mary Jane.

So, fortified by all these facts, Cora watched out for Nicholas one

evening, saw him coming, and dropped her amber heart in the way where it

would lie under his nose as he came along.

Her only fear was that he'd miss it, and she hid, so close as a hare in

its form, to watch how it might go. But since Nicky's eyes were on the

ground and the sunset light glittered very brave upon the toy, miss it he

did not.

She saw him pick it up with a good bit of interest and then his eyes

roamed about; but there was nought in sight of him but the river and some

fragments of paper and a burned-out fire, where holiday folk had took

their tea. So away he went with the amber heart in his trouser pocket, and

after he was gone Cora came forth well pleased with the adventure; because

she knew all was tolerable safe now, and reckoned the next stage would

happen next day as she had foretold to herself. Which it did do.

She met Nicky after work hours and he was full of his find and very

wishful for Cora to take it. But that weren't her purpose by no means.

"No, Nick," she said. "This fix we be in wants a power of careful thought

and management, and we've got to go slow. You ain't a very downy man and

can't see much beyond the point of your beautiful nose; but I can, and

I'll ask you to go on as you are going for a bit and leave the future to

me."

"I'd trust you with my life," he said, and then she told him what he was

to do.

"You give this thing to Mary Jane," directed the devious woman. "You

needn't be telling you picked it up and that 'tis no more than a

come-by-chance, because then she'd set no store upon it. But just say 'tis

a gift for her, and she'll be pleased and axe no questions."

Of course Nicholas couldn't see the point; but Cora just told him to trust

her and do what she said.

"You leave the future to me," she told him. "I know a lot more about this

than what you do, and if there's one thing above all else it is for you to

trust me. You'll do a mighty sight more than you think you're doing when

you give that rubbish to Mary Jane."

Well, he felt with a woman like Cora Dene, his strong suit was to obey and

not argue, for he understood now, by a sure instinct, that such a creature

was a tower of strength if she loved a man, and had best be let alone to

work out her plans in her own way. And he presented the amber heart to

Mary Jane and endured her joy and her kisses, though his heart sank under

'em and he puzzled all night to know how such a stroke was going to work

for good. And if he'd known the proper tempest that had to rage afore

there was peace, doubtless his pluck would have quailed under it.

And the very next morning, so proud as punch, Mary Jane came to breakfast

with her amber heart flashing under her chin, and when James sat down to

his meal, the first thing he catched sight of was his gift to Cora on his

sister's bosom.

His eyeballs jingled no doubt and he put down his knife and fork and

stared as if he'd seen a spectrum instead of the homely shape of Mary Jane

behind the teapot.

"What--what in thunder be that hanging round your neck?" he asked.

"A little momentum from Nick," she answered lightly. "He gave it to me

yesterday and was wishful for me to let him see me wear it."

"Caunter gave you that?" he said. "Let me look at it."

Well, she was a bit surprised, of course, to see James tighten up and set

his jaws as he was wont to do before ugly news; but she put it down to

astonishment and no more and handed the heart and the chain to James. She

knew nought about his gift to Cora, and so when he dropped it, after

squinting close at it, and said: "My God in heaven, 'tis the same!" then

Mary Jane felt proper amazement.

"The same what?" she asked.

"The same treasure that I gave Cora for a heirloom," he answered, his jaws

like a rat-trap.

"You gave Cora!" gasped Mary Jane. "What stuff are you telling?"

And then the woman in her conquered, because she knew the value of things

as well as another.

"And a treasure it ain't any way," went on Mary Jane, "because a few

shillings would buy it. But Nicholas is poor and 'tis the thought behind

that I value."

"Damn the thought behind!" thundered out James. "It weren't his to give,

you silly owl. This was my gift to Cora Dene, and not a month ago,

neither."

"Nonsense!" she answered. "There might be fifty like it."

But he knew better, because he'd marked the thing very close when he

bought it, and there was a stain in the amber which had knocked off two

bob.

He said no more but ate his poached eggs and cleaned up the plate after

with a piece of bread, according to his habit. Then he drank his tea, and

ten minutes later he was off on his pony to old Mrs. Dene's house to have

a tell with his sweetheart. And nobody ever went to the woman of his

choice in such a foaming passion as Jimmy White that fine morning.

There was another outlet for Cora's remorseless and far-reaching

activities at this time besides James, for the woman had an uncanny power

of looking far ahead and, while she'd planned the affair of the amber

heart outside her home, she was also working very hard within it. Her

purpose there was to please her aunt as never she'd pleased her until that

time; and for two reasons.

Cora well knew that there was going to come a fearful strain on Mrs.

Dene's goodwill, and was anxious to plan her own life after the crash had

fallen, because she little doubted Mrs. Dene would cast her out. Indeed,

she reckoned on it. But over and beyond that was the time to come, and

Cora had so behaved of late that she meant the old woman should feel the

gap when she was gone. Because a sudden upheaval and parting will oft be

the only adventure to bring a thing home to anybody, and it isn't until

the even, pleasant everyday life comes to an end and a thousand hateful

problems call to be solved, that some people know their luck and realise

their good time was in the present, though they were always waiting for

the good time to come in the future.

And Cora had been giving her aunt a very fine time indeed, which is easy

if anybody makes a god of their food and you happen to be a peerless cook.

She was a heaven-born hand at food, was Cora, and Mrs. Dene, loving her

food next to her hope of salvation, revelled in her niece's kitchen art.

In fact, Cora went from strength to strength in that particular; and a

thousand other things she'd done during the last month to endear herself

to her aunt.

Her craft was to plant in old Sarah Dene's mind the picture of a helpmate

very much out of the common; and she done so, and on the night before

James White came along, Cora's aunt had gone so far as to admit it would

be a dark day for her when the girl was wed and had took her many gifts to

Hartland.

So that's how it stood when Jimmy lighted off his pony, and two minutes

later he was holding the amber heart under his sweetheart's astonished

eyes.

"Good morning, James," she said. "You'm early."

"What's this?" he asked, wasting no words in politeness.

She was a play-actor to the roots of her being, Cora was, and she started

and stared.

"Not another, my dear man, surely?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "Not another. But what I'd like to know is, where be

yours?"

"In your hand, thank God," she answered, and put out her fingers to take

it; but he wasn't giving it back to her no more.

He commanded her to tell him how it come about that his gift to her--a

sacred heirloom evermore--come to be on his sister's neck that morning,

and she marvelled at a tale so strange and wondered what the world was

coming to.

"I'll tell you the truth," she said--suspicious words in Jimmy's ear,

because, to market or elsewhere, he'd often noted that when a fellow

creature begins a tale like that, truth be often the one thing lacking.

But Cora's story sounded as if there weren't much wrong, and perhaps

another sort of man might have believed her.

"I broke my word and I own it," she told him. "I was so proud of the

necklace that I couldn't but wear it, James, for I wanted the holiday

people to see it round my neck, and the other girls to see it too. And,

coming home from gathering whortles for a pie for my aunt--which she

dearly loves--I found to my undying grief as I'd dropped the precious

trophy somewhere. And back along I went and hunted till dusk and dewfall,

and drowned myself with tears; and for two whole days I couldn't gather

pluck to tell you the fearful news. I've lost pounds of solid flesh

fretting and be so weak as a goose-chick about it; but I was coming to

confess my sins to-day. And now you rise up, like the sun over a cloud,

and turn my sorrow into joy, I'm sure."

"You needn't think so," he said, "because there's a lot more in this than

meets the eye, and I doubt you're lying."

She stared at that.

"I should hope all's well that ends well, James," she answered him, "and

no call for no such insult as that. What was lost be found, such as it is,

and I'm very wishful to know where Mary Jane picked it up."

"She didn't pick it up at all," he answered. "'Twas Nicholas Caunter--his

gift to her."

"What a world!" exclaimed Cora. "So Nicholas found it! Or, since you think

I'm lying, perhaps you'll say 'twas me gave it to him, because your sister

thought 'twas more than time she had a present off him?"

"How he came by it I've yet to find out," answered the man, "and if that's

true and you thought to hoodwink Mary Jane and me also by a trick like

that, then you're a bad lot and not worth your keep to any man. But all

that matters to me be this: you disobeyed me on your own showing and

risked a valuable jewel, messing about on the moor for vanity, or some

worse reason. And them that be careless of a lover's wishes before

marriage won't care a cuss for 'em after. In a word, I've done with you.

This is the last of a lot of pin-pricks you've given me lately, and I've

caught ideas and opinions from you during the past month that made me ask

myself some difficult questions. It's off, you understand."

'Twas true she'd been saying things to shake up James pretty frequent; but

this was better than her highest hopes, of course. She hid her joy,

however, and put her apron up to her eyes and shook her slim shoulders a

bit; then, as he was going, she told him a thing that astonished him.

"Whether or no," said Cora, "the amber heart, trash though it is, be mine,

not yours, James, and I'll thank you to return it to the lawful owner.

Since you be going to say 'good-bye,' we'll part friends, but thicky

necklace is mine, whatever your godless intentions."

He glared at her, stuffed the toy in his pocket and went back to his pony

without a word. But she followed him down the pathway and smiled at him as

he mounted, and even dared to rub the pony's nose, for she'd often been

suffered to ride the creature herself.

"If you won't give me the amber heart, Jimmy, I'll have you up for

breach," she said. And then he let fall a few crooked words and drove his

heels into the beast and galloped off in a proper fury of rage, cussing

the whole sex to hell and Cora Dene in particular.

With that she went in and told her aunt the tale; but now she was all

shame and grief, and after she'd given the details and said how James

White had cast her off, she vowed that her last day on earth had dawned.

"I'd call on the hills to cover me if they would do so," sobbed Cora. "But

as they will not, I'll call on the river, and I'll go and drown myself

to-night, for I can't face Little Silver no more after this downfall."

And Mrs. Dene, who had always thought a lot of James White and been proud

of the match, weren't particular helpful, nor yet comforting. In fact, she

was very disappointed about it and lost her temper with Cora. So the

bedraggled maiden went out of her sight and looked as never she'd looked

before. And on the evening of that day, under cover of darkness, she met

Nick Caunter and heard his news.

"'Tis in a nutshell and all very shameful, but very convenient," said

Nicholas. "White faced me about the amber heart after dinner, and axed me

where I'd bought it, and, took unawares, I said at Moreton. Then he told

me I was a liar and could clear out of Hartland at the end of my month.

And then I owned up that I'd found the blessed thing on the moor and

thought it would sound better in Mary Jane's ear if I said I'd bought it.

Then he flattened me out by telling me 'twas his gift to you, and the

whole trick had been planned by us both, as an insult to him and his

sister. Then I looked at Mary Jane and found, to my great thankfulness,

she was in a mood to believe James; and then I went out of their sight

that instant moment, before she had time to relent. I packed my bag and I

cleared, and I ain't going back again, neither."

She was very pleased indeed, Cora was.

"You couldn't have done no better," she said. "You couldn't have carried

on cleverer than that if I'd advised you. 'Tis a very sad affair for

everybody, I'm sure, but better be troubled for a week than for a

lifetime. Now you go to Moreton and put up the banns and leave the rest to

me, if you please."

"What a day!" he said. "If I didn't know you, I should reckon you was

going mad along of so much plotting. How can I put up the banns--me out of

work and not a job in sight? And where will you stand with Mrs. Dene when

she hears that White have thrown you over?"

"Don't waste your time axing questions," she answered. "I want your

address in Moreton and that's all there is to it for a fortnight till

after we be wed. You've got enough money to carry on, because you can draw

out your twenty-five pounds from the Post Office Savings Bank; and I can

draw out my fifteen, and that's forty. And don't you look for no work,

unless it's jobbing work, but leave the future in my keeping till we meet

again."

With that they praised the Lord for all His mercies and the man went on

his way, to tramp to Moreton and Cora returned home. But the river ran at

the bottom of her aunt's garden and she popped down and dipped in it,

clothes and all, before she returned to Mrs. Dene.

The old woman was sitting up in a bit of a stew, because the hour grew

late and she minded what her niece had threatened. In fact, she was

half-inclined to go down to the police-station when the girl came in,

soaking from head to heel, and told her story.

"I flinged myself in, as I ordained to do," she said, "and by the wisdom

of God a man was passing and heard the splash and saved me. 'Twas Nicholas

Caunter, the cowman at Hartland, who fought for my life, and he made me

promise faithful I wouldn't go in no more. So I've got to live after all,

Aunt Sarah."

"In that case, you'd best to unray and get out of them clothes and go to

bed," said the old woman, hiding her relief, "else you'll very likely die

in earnest--and no great loss if you did."

So Cora went to her chamber after a busy day; but she was one of them

terrible clear-minded women who work when they work and sleep when they

sleep, and she never had a better night's rest.

Two days later came news of where Nicholas was stopping; and there also

arrived for Cora a little box left by a farm-hand from Hartland. There

wasn't no letter with it, but Cora found herself disappointed in a way,

because she rather liked the thought of fetching James White up for breach

if it could be done; and the fact that he had so far shunned the prospect

of the law as to send her back the trinket showed that he was fearful too.

Because James White had a proper dread of lawyers.

And then came the last fine act but one of her make-believe, and when Mrs.

Dene had swallowed the pill and begun to see that, but for the shame,

she'd be a lot better with Cora than without, and set to work to make her

niece bide along with her and live it down, the girl vowed that such a

thought was beyond belief and she couldn't face Little Silver as a forlorn

woman passed over and disgraced.

"I'll go to Moreton," she said, "and find honest work; and as the world's

crying out for cooks, with a hand like mine, no doubt I'll struggle in

somewhere and make new friends; but to stop here all forlorn without a

man's courage and strength to defend me, be asking too much. And I never

shall forget your goodness and loving-kindness, Aunt Sarah; and the Lord

won't forget 'em either. I'll always pray for you in my prayers, and I'll

always pray for that poor chap, Nicholas Caunter, as saved me alive,

because when it got to Mr. White's ears as he'd done so and kept me from a

watery death, him and his sister turned against poor Nicholas and threw

him over, and he's a wanderer on the face of the earth this minute, though

such a clever, big-hearted soul as him be sure to find a warm welcome

somewhere, I hope."

Well, Mrs. Dene, who was broke down by now and terrible wishful for Cora

to stay, pleaded with her in vain to do so; but the girl went on cooking

to a marvel, and excelling in surprises, and being a proper angel in the

house for a fortnight; and then crying oceans of tears, she packed her

belongings, and Farmer Maitland, the widower, carried her off to Moreton

in his market cart on market day.

'Tis said he offered her marriage before they were halfway up Merripit

Hill and out of sight of her native village; but he was unsuccessful, and

afore noon Cora found herself in the arms of Nicholas Caunter. Two days

after, the day being Sunday, him and her were married and off to Ashburton

for a bit of a honeymoon. And then, when their united money was down to

ten pounds, Cora struck her last stroke.

She waited and watched the _Moreton Trumpet_, the paper her aunt took up,

and then come the expected advertisement telling how Mrs. Sarah Dene of

Little Silver was wishful to employ a man and his wife; and on the day

after it appeared, off she went along with Nicholas in a hired trap and

drove into the village so bold as need be.

Then Cora left her husband at the 'Three Travellers' and walked down to

Mrs. Dene, and found her aunt sitting helpless afore a score of letters

from married folk all very wishful to join her.

Cora told her news and how she'd found and married Nicholas; and then she

brought peace and order and hope into her aunt's heart, according to her

custom; and the sight of her awakened a great hope in Mrs. Dene, though it

sank again when she grasped that Cora was no more a free creature, but

given over to the keeping of a man.

And then, of course, the old woman said exactly what her niece knew she

would say. Cora had looked through the applications and didn't feel too

hopeful about any of 'em.

"The first thing is the cooking," she declared. "A bad cook's going to

shorten your life, Aunt Sarah, and my mind always sinks when I think of

it. You're thinner than when I saw you last, for that matter, and I'm

going to make one of my mutton pies for you this day before I say

'good-bye.'"

And then--a world of anxiety in her eyes--Mrs. Dene wondered if 'twas in

the power of possibility that Nicholas Caunter would see his way to come

to her if all she'd got was left to Cora in the hereafter, under her will.

And the young woman stared with amazement, and declared no such thought as

that had ever crossed her mind.

"Wonders never cease with me," she said, "but Nicky's all for foreign

parts, I'm afraid, and a State-aided passage to Canada. I've begged him to

think twice, I may tell you, because the sea between you and me is a very

cruel thought; but since you want a man and his wife, which was always

your ambition, and since I should certainly lengthen your days if I was to

bide along with you, and be happier far than I should be anywhere else on

earth, I'll strive with my husband about it and try my bestest to change

his plans."

So she went for Nicholas and he came along. Of course, he couldn't

play-act like his wife; but she'd schooled him pretty well, and he came

out with flying colours and sacrificed his hopes of Canada so that Cora

and her aunt shouldn't be parted.

It worked very well indeed, and the old woman had five more happy years

afore a tremendous Christmas dinner finished her.

And then Cora came by the house and three hundred a year.

You'd think, in your worldly wisdom, that such a woman as her might have

been rather doubtful as a wife, and was like to trade on her fatal

cleverness when up against the changes and chances of married life; but no

such thing was ever reported against Cora Caunter. She loved Nick and ran

straight in double harness, and brought the man four very fine childer.

And the eldest girl wears the amber heart to chapel on Sundays; because,

as Cora told Nicholas, 'tis no use having a heirloom if you don't let the

people see it.

As for James White, one dose of romantics was enough for him and he never

went courting no more; but Mary Jane found a very good husband and left

Hartland along with him after marriage. She quarrelled with James about

the wedding-breakfast because she wanted for him to pay, but he would not.