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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Three Letters

Tom Tulliver and his mother were at Dorlcote Mill. Tom was standing outside the house. He looked down at the river. The water was rushing past. Then Tom turned towards the house. He was angry.

Maggie was standing by the door. She was very unhappy.

‘Tom, I have come back,’ Maggie said.

‘You are a bad woman,’ Tom said. ‘I don’t want you here.’

Mrs Tulliver came to the door of the house. She listened.

‘I was wrong, Tom,’ Maggie said. ‘I am sorry.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ Tom replied. ‘Lucy was your friend. Now she is ill and unhappy. I will give you some money. But you cannot live here!’

Maggie started to cry. Mrs Tulliver came out of the house. She went to Maggie and she kissed her.

‘I’ll go with you, my child,’ Mrs Tulliver said.

Maggie and her mother went to St Ogg’s. They lived in a small house next to the river. But Maggie wanted to live alone. After a few days, Mrs Tulliver went back to the mill.

Stephen Guest went away. He wrote a letter to his father.

Father!

I was wrong. I loved Maggie Tulliver and I wanted to marry her. Maggie is good. She is not a bad woman. Please show this letter to Lucy. Ask her to forgive me.

Stephen

At the beginning of July, Maggie got a letter from Philip.

Maggie,

You are good. You are strong. I met you ten years ago. I loved you and you loved me. I love you now, Maggie. I shall always be your friend.

Yours ever, Philip Wakem.

Three weeks later, Maggie was sitting in the house next to the river. She was sitting by a window. She was looking at the River Floss. Suddenly, someone spoke her name. She turned round.

‘Lucy’ said Maggie.

Lucy went to her cousin and kissed her.

‘I am happy to see you, Lucy,’ Maggie said. ‘I am sorry about Stephen.’

‘I understand,’ Lucy said. ‘You loved him and you sent him away. That was good. You were strong.’

‘Forgive him, Lucy,’ Maggie said. ‘He will come back.’

‘I have been ill,’ Lucy said. ‘I am going away. But I will come back soon and I will visit you again.’

Maggie kissed her cousin. ‘Goodbye, Maggie,’ Lucy said quietly.

In August, the weather was very bad. The rain fell. Hour after hour, it rained. Day after day, it rained. Was there going to be a flood? The water in the River Floss was rising higher and higher.

One day, Maggie got a letter from Stephen.

My dearest Maggie!

Why did you leave me? Maggie, you took away your love. You took away my life! Maggie, I want to be with you.

I am yours forever,

Stephen.

Maggie was lonely and unhappy. She sat in the little house next to the River Floss. She read Stephen’s letter many times. She cried and cried.

Hours passed. Night came. The rain fell all night. The river rose higher and higher.