“Please, sir, take the money, and forgive me,” pleaded Annie. “And please, sir, please do not say anything about it to anybody. Even my mother does not know.”
“Now there you did wrong. You ought to have told your mother.”
“I see that now, sir; but I was so glad to be able to help the poor creatures that I did not think of it till afterwards.”
“I dare say your mother would have been glad of the money herself; I understand she was not left very well off.”
“At that time I did not know she was so poor. But now that my mistress has paid me such good wages, I am going to take her every penny of them this very afternoon.”
“And then you will tell her, will you not?”
“I shall not mind telling her when you have taken it back. I was afraid to tell her before! It was to pay you back that I asked Mrs. Macintosh to take me for parlormaid.”
“Then you were not in service before?”
“No, sir. You see, my mother thought I could earn my bread in a way we should both like better.”
“So now you will give up service and go back to her?”
“I am not sure, sir. It would be long, I fear, before the school would pay me as well. You see, I have my food here too. And everything tells. Please, sir, take the pound.”
“My dear girl,” said her master, “I could not think of depriving you of what you have so well earned. It is more than enough to me that you want to repay it. I positively cannot take it.”