of a little
longer respite before their meeting. Duplicity was not her forte, and
she knew it. Her heart ached with tenderness for her child, a tenderness
that she must not show.

All day long, as she rode upon her rounds, inspecting the damage wrought
by last night's storm, she was rehearsing inwardly her first meeting
with Jacqueline; planning to show her, without exciting suspicion, the
depth of her love and her understanding. If only practical, unemotional
Jemima were there, to act as buffer between them! She thought of
consulting Philip, but decided that Jacqueline's secret was not hers to
share.

One friend, however, she did consult, having so recently tested Him and
found Him not wanting. Philip, happening into his always-open church
early in the afternoon, was astounded to discover no less a person there
than the Madam, on her knees, intent upon rendering unto God the things
that are God's, as honestly as she rendered unto Caesar the things that
are Caesar's.

He withdrew unnoticed; and thereafter, to his great delight, Kate
Kildare was a regular frequenter of the church she had built, sitting
with a rather bored expression through the service from first to last,
while her horse and her dogs waited patiently at the door for their
Sabbath exercise....

Kate shared the midday meal that day with workmen who were repairing
damages to a favorite bit of beech-wood--frequently her custom when work
was on hand that required her special attention. So it was not until
dark that she rode wearily back to Storm, to discover her household
seething with excitement.

Mag Henderson had never returned from her errand into the village. She
had been gone since breakfast. A servant had just discovered, in Kate's
room, a sealed letter addressed to the Madam, and pinned to her
pillow.--Poor Mag had followed as closely as possible the example set by
her beloved Miss Jacky.

Kate's face was very sad and discouraged as she read the little note:

I dassent stay cause if Miss Jacky was to ax me questions I'd be
bound to tell and then you wuddent trust me no more but ef i go
away I cain't answer no questions. You kin kepe Kitty. I luv her
but I giv her to you cause I ain't got nothing else nice to give
and you been awful kind to Me. plese let her be yore little Hands
and feet, miss Kate, and kepe her always and fetch her up a lady
like you not like me. plese mam dont you _never_ let her do like