"I know," said the Beggar Man. "And you have been most kind. I shall never be able to thank you for what you have done for us both."
Peg said, "Oh, chuck it!" but she looked pleased.
She went back to Faith and told her that she had failed.
"Never mind, honey," she said, when she saw the girl's disappointment. "If at first you don't succeed, you know, try, try, try again, as they used to tell us in the copybooks; and I'm not done yet. You'll have to go off with him alone, and I'll come along later."
"I shall never go," said Faith.
It was curious how determinedly she stuck to that. Even Peg marvelled at her unexpected display of will-power. She did not understand how deeply ingrained in the girl's soul the failure and death of her father had been, or how the loss of her mother had reawakened and added to its power.
"You'll have to let the twins go, anyway," Peg said bluntly. "Why, it would be a crime to try and keep them, bless their hearts! After all the new frocks he's bought them, you ought to see!"
"I don't want to see them," said Faith passionately, the tears rushing to her eyes. "Nobody will ever love them as I do."
But she knew she was powerless to keep the twins with her. Mr. Shawyer came and talked to her about it. He pointed out kindly but firmly that her husband was their natural guardian now, as she herself was under age.