"My mother!" was all I could say; and we wept for many minutes in silence, closely folded in each other's arms.
When I raised my head, Mrs. Challis was standing by us. She had a troubled look, as though she feared something had gone wrong.
"What does all this mean?" she asked; but neither of us took any notice of her.
"I have hoped all the time that you were not dead," said my mother, smiling through her tears.
"I must return to London immediately, and you must go with me, mother," I continued.
"To London!" exclaimed Mrs. Challis. "Indeed she must not go to London!"
"Indeed she must!" I added, as decidedly as though I meant to break through a stone wall, if need be. "Get ready as quick as you can, mother, for there is not more than time enough for us to reach the station."
"I say she cannot go!" interposed Mrs. Challis.
"And I say she can and shall! Get your clothes, mother."
"There is three pound five due for her board," added the landlady.