“No, no,” responded Madge, angrily.  “Your jewels are more than enough.  He would have no need of my poor offering.”

I took Madge’s hand and said, “I shall accept help from no one but you, Madge; from no one but you.”

“I will go to our rooms for your box,” said Dorothy, who had begun to see the trouble.  “I will fetch it for you.”

“No, I will fetch it,” answered Madge.  She arose, and I led her to the foot of the staircase.  When she returned she held in her hands a purse and a little box of jewels.  These she offered to me, but I took only the purse, saying:  “I accept the purse.  It contains more money than I shall need.  From its weight I should say there are twenty gold pounds sterling.”

“Twenty-five,” answered Madge.  “I have saved them, believing that the time might come when they would be of great use to me.  I did not know the joy I was saving for myself.”

Tears came to my eyes, and Dorothy wept silently.

“Will you not take the jewels also?” asked Madge.

“No,” I responded; “the purse will more than pay my expenses to France, where I have wealthy relatives.  There I may have my mother’s estate for the asking, and I can repay you the gold.  I can never repay your kindness.”

“I hope you will never offer to repay the gold,” said Madge.

“I will not,” I gladly answered.

“As to the kindness,” she said, “you have paid me in advance for that many, many times over.”

I then said farewell, promising to send letters telling of my fortune.  As I was leaving I bent forward and kissed Madge upon the forehead, while she gently pressed my hand, but did not speak a word.

“Cousin Malcolm,” said Dorothy, who held my other hand, “you are a strong, gentle, noble man, and I want you to say that you forgive me.”

“I do forgive you, Dorothy, from my heart.  I could not blame you if I wished to do so, for you did not know what you were doing.”

“Not to know is sometimes the greatest of sins,” answered Dorothy.  I bent forward to kiss her cheek in token of my full forgiveness, but she gave me her lips and said:  “I shall never again be guilty of not knowing that you are good and true and noble, Cousin Malcolm, and I shall never again doubt your wisdom or your good faith when you speak to me.”  She did doubt me afterward, but I fear her doubt was with good cause.  I shall tell you of it in the proper place.

Then I forced myself to leave my fair friends and went to the gateway under Eagle Tower, where I found Will Dawson waiting for me with my horse.

“Sir George ordered me to bring your horse,” said Will.  “He seemed much excited.  Has anything disagreeable happened?  Are you leaving us?  I see you wear your steel cap and breastplate and are carrying your bundle.”

“Yes, Will, your master has quarrelled with me and I must leave his house.”

“But where do you go, Sir Malcolm?  You remember that of which we talked?  In England no place but Haddon Hall will be safe for you, and the ports are so closely guarded that you will certainly be arrested if you try to sail for France.”