He and Miss
Cecilia Morland were married. A few days before the wedding, when
some legal arrangements and settlements were necessary, Frank made
one last effort to secure an income for Madge, but it failed. Mrs
Caffyn met him by appointment, but he could not persuade her even to
be the bearer of a message to Madge. He then determined to confess
his fears. To his great relief Mrs Caffyn of her own accord assured
him that he never need dread any disturbance or betrayal.
'There are three of us,' she said, 'as knows you--Miss Madge, Miss
Clara and myself--and, as far as you are concerned, we are dead and
buried. I can't say as I was altogether of Miss Madge's way of
looking at it at first, and I thought it ought to have been
different, though I believe now as she's right, but,' and the old
woman suddenly fired up as if some bolt from heaven had kindled her,
'I pity you, sir--you, sir, I say--more nor I do her. You little
know what you've lost, the blessedest, sweetest, ah, and the
cleverest creature, too, as ever I set eyes on.'
'But, Mrs Caffyn,' said Frank, with much emotion, 'it was not I who
left her, you know it was not, and, and even--'
The word 'now' was coming, but it did not come.
'Ah,' said Mrs Caffyn, with something like scorn, '_I_ know, yes, I
do know. It was she, you needn't tell me that, but, God-a-mighty in
heaven, if I'd been you, I'd have laid myself on the ground afore
her, I'd have tore my heart out for her, and I'd have said, "No other
woman in this world but you"--but there, what a fool I am! Goodbye,
Mr Palmer.
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