She thanked him tearfully, and kissed the ring, and held it to her lips.
'It's 'er mother's,' whispered Jimmy Virtue to me.
The sun rose bright and clear on Christmas-day. How well I remember the morning! It is three years since that time, and every incident is as clear to my mind as if it had occurred but yesterday. Punctually at half-past eight o'clock Blade-o'-Grass was at my lodgings; she was nervous and very pale, and had evidently had but little sleep during the night. I had never seen her so neatly dressed, and I expressed my pleasure at her appearance.
'Mrs. Silver and Miss Rachel brought the things to me yesterday, sir,' she said. 'They are too good to me, sir--too good.'
'It gives them pleasure.'
'I don't deserve it, sir.'
'You can deserve it. If you could do something for them in return for their kindness, you would?'
'That I would, sir, and grateful to be able to.'
'Come, we are going to walk to their house now. It is a bright Christmas morning, is it not?'
'Yes, sir, I never remember sich a Christmas as this.'