“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.