“There’s no hope of that! I’ll tell you how I think it was. My father didn’t want to marry my mother, for he wanted a great lady. So he said good-bye to her and she didn’t mind, for he was a selfish man, she said. So she took the money, for of course she had to raise us and couldn’t do it without money—and did what they call invested it. That means, you know, that somebody took charge of it. So it’s all gone, and she gets no more interest on it. And we can’t always pay for the kind of things she likes. The other day she came right into the shop and said to Mrs. Harman that I could get much better wages and that she didn’t give me half what my work was worth. I cried, for I couldn’t help it. I was so weak and miserable, for I had hardly had any breakfast to speak of, and I just wanted my mother out of the place. But Mrs. Harman—she is a kind woman!—she interfered and said my mother had no right to take me away, and I must finish my month. So I sat down again and my mother was forced to go. But when she was gone, Mrs. Harman said to me, ‘The best thing you can do is let your mother have her way. You just stay at home till she gets you a place that’ll pay better than I do! She’ll find out all the sooner that there isn’t a better place to be had, for it’s a slack time now. When her pride comes down a bit, you come and see whether I’m able to take you on again.’”

“Hmm!” said Barbara. “So you went home to your mother?”

“Yes—and it was just as Mrs. Harman said—there wasn’t a job anyplace. I went from place to place—nearly killed myself walking about. Finally I went back to Mrs. Harman and told her. She said she couldn’t have me just then but she’d keep her eye on me. I went home nearly out of my mind. Arthur was growing worse and worse and I had nothing to do. At last, one night as I lay awake, I made up my mind I would go and see whether my father was as hard-hearted as people said. Perhaps he would give us enough to help us get over a week or two, and if I hadn’t got work by that time, we should at least be able to bear the hunger a little longer. So the next day, without a word to mother or Arthur, I set out and came down here.”

“And you didn’t see sir Wilton?”

“Who told you, miss? Did I let out the name?”