Jasper, the village blacksmith, is in love with Nan, the daughter of old Blind Judith. Nan has long wearied of the village and has no intention of spending her whole life in it. She accepts Jasper’s devotion in a half-hearted and indifferent sort of way. Black Meg, the village ne’er-do-well, is herself desperately in love with Jasper. Things are in this condition when one day Nan’s beauty is observed by the tire-woman of Lady Betty Hastings, the wife of a noble of great wealth and influence who, although she spends most of her time in London, has a country seat in the little village, which she occasionally visits. The woman is so enthusiastic in her praises to her mistress of Nan’s good looks and charming appearance that at last Lady Betty’s curiosity is aroused and she condescends to pay a visit in person to old Judith’s cottage. Lady Betty offers Nan a position as her maid. Nan, therefore, a few days later departs for London. Before she goes, she does her best to comfort her mother, and promises that she will come back to her again, saying, “One day I will return and creep in softly, and when you hear the whirr of the spinning wheel, you will know that I have come back to you again.” Nan begins to realize that life in the great city is not quite all that she pictured it, and that service with Lady Betty is not going to be as light and pleasant as she thought when she first took the situation. Lady Betty’s friends consist of a fast set of dissolute men and women, and their strange behavior both distresses and disgusts the innocent country girl. One evening, when a ball is in progress, Lady Betty rings for Nan to come down to the ballroom, wishing to show her guests her “funny little country mouse,” as she calls her. One of the men present, who is half-drunk, clasps her in his arms. Nan is taken aback, and bursts into tears. She receives no sympathy, however, from Lady Betty, who, after rating her sharply for being such a cry-baby, dismisses her to her room. This scene has been witnessed by Sir Walter Carnaby, who follows her and offers her a home with his sister. Her departure is noticed by the spiteful tire-woman, who informs her mistress than Nan has run away to Sir Walter Carnaby. On arriving at Sir Walter’s mansion, Nan is met by his sister who takes an immediate fancy to the girl. Many months pass, and Nan, in the delightful whirl of the new life that opens up before her, forgets all about her lonely old mother. At length the old lady’s distress becomes so great at hearing nothing of her daughter, that Jasper volunteers to go to London and find out what has become of her. On reaching Lady Betty’s, he is told by the tire-woman her version of what has happened, and is overwhelmed with grief at the sad news. He goes to Sir Walter Carnaby and succeeds in getting an interview with Nan, who appears quite pleased to see him, and he gives her her mother’s letter. She soon realizes, however, from Jasper’s conversation that he believes her to be guilty, and in a fit of indignation orders him from the house. Jasper returns to the village, and not daring to tell Judith what he believes to be the true state of affairs, comforts her with lies, saying that he has seen Nan, and that she is getting on splendidly. In the meantime, however, the tire-woman has been to the village again, and has told her version of the story to Black Meg. All this time Nan’s conscience has been reproaching her for leading a life of idle luxury in London, while her mother is living in loneliness at home. She returns home and creeps softly in at the door, she slips into an empty chair and sets the spinning wheel going. The wheel has been idle and silent ever since she went away, and directly her mother hears it she remembers her daughter’s promise on the eve of her departure. Clasping her in her arms, she folds to her heart the prodigal who has returned at last.