“Hear me, girl,” said the master sternly. “I believe—I know that you are honest, but I have no means of knowing that you are discreet; after what has happened I cannot suffer you to stay for one hour longer in this house.” Seeing that Lottie looked aghast at this summary dismissal, Gaspar added more gently, “I am going to exact from you a most solemn promise that you will never utter to any being a word of what you have seen this day, or of the cause of your being thus hastily dismissed from my service.”
“I must tell my mother,” faltered Lottie, “or she will think that I have done something wrong; I never hide nothing from her.”
“You must not tell your mother, nor your lady, nor any one,” said Gaspar. “I will make it worth your while to keep silence.”
“I don’t think that I could keep it,” said poor Lottie.
Mr. Gritton laid his hand on one of the canvas bags, unloosed it, and took out five pieces of gold. “See here, Lottie Stone,” he said sternly; “if you will not make a solemn promise to tell no one, I will at once give you up to justice as a person found lurking, at a strange hour and under suspicious circumstances, in a place where treasure is kept.” He marked that Lottie’s rosy cheek blanched at the threat, and went on, “If you will pledge yourself to the strictest secrecy, you shall take home these five golden sovereigns; and if in the course of a year I find that nothing has transpired either of the cause of your leaving, or of the existence of these vaults, I will give you five sovereigns more.”
A flash of joy beamed on the countenance of Lottie. So intense was her desire to possess the very sum which her master offered to place in her hands, that to obtain it she would have been ready to sacrifice anything but her conscience.
“O sir!” she exclaimed, “I will—I do promise. I will never say one word about this place, or what I have seen, or why you send me away—I will rather die than speak!”
“You promise before God?” said Gaspar solemnly, before he placed the money in the hand of the excited girl.
“I do, I do!” exclaimed Lottie, and her fingers closed over the gold. She felt that she had saved her father.