Therewith the good vicar left her and went to bury Tom Judd's baby, divided in his mind between rejoicing over his favourite pupil's success and lamenting, as he sincerely did, the misfortunes which befell his parishioners.

When he left the churchyard an hour later he was met by Martha, who came from the cottage with a message begging that the vicar would come to Mrs.Goddard as soon as possible.

Martha believed her mistress was ill, she wanted to see Mr.
Ambrose at once.

Without returning to the vicarage he turned to the left towards the cottage.
Mrs.Goddard had slept that night, being exhausted and almost broken down with fatigue.

But she woke only to a sense of the utmost pain and distress, realising that to-day's anxiety was harder to bear than yesterday's, and that to-morrow might bring forth even worse disasters than those which had gone before.