o
her. O' course we all knew as she wouldn't get over it. Her spirit was
quite broke, and when the babies came she hadn't a chance. It happened
very quick at the last, and her husband weren't there. He were down at
The Three Tuns, and when they went to fetch him he laughed in their faces
and went on drinking. Oh, it was cruel." Mrs. Rickett wiped away some
indignant tears. "Not as she wanted him--never even mentioned his name.
She only asked for Dick, and he was with her just at the end. He was only
a lad of thirteen, miss, but he was a man grown from that night on. She
begged him to look after the babies, and he promised her he would. And
then she just lay holding his hand till she died. He seemed dazed-like
when they told him she were gone, and just went straight out without a
word. No one ever saw young Dick break down after that. He's got a will
like steel."

"And the horrible husband?" asked Juliet, now thoroughly interested in
Mrs. Rickett's favourite tragedy.

"I were coming to him," said Mrs. Rickett, with obvious relish. "The
husband stayed at The Three Tuns till closing time, then he went out
roaring drunk, took the cliff-path by mistake, and went over the cliff in
the dark. The tide was up, and he was drowned. And a great pity it didn't
happen a little bit sooner, says I! The nasty coarse hulking brute! I'd
have learned him a thing or two if he'd belonged to me." Again,
vindictively, Mrs. Rickett wiped her eyes. "Believe me, miss, there's no
martyrdom so bad as getting married to the wrong man. I've seen it once
and again, and I knows."

"I quite agree with you," said Juliet. "But tell me some more! Who took
the poor babies?"

"Oh, Mrs. Cross at the lodge took them. Mr. Fielding provided for 'em,
and he helped young Dick along too. He's been very good to them always.
He had young Jack trained, and now he's his chauffeur and making a very
good living. The worst of Jack is, he ain't over steady, got too much of
his father in him to please me. He's always after some girl--two or
three at a time sometimes. No harm in the lad, I daresay. But he's wild,
you know. Dick finds him rather a handful very often. Robin can't abide
him, which perhaps isn't much to be wondered at, seeing as it was mostly
Jack's fault that he is such a poor cripple. He was always sickly. It's
often the way with twins, you know. All the strength goes to one. But he
always had to do what Jack did as a little one, and Jack led him into all