“I—I’ll give you the money. Seventy-five dollars down, one hundred when—when it’s all set right.”
“It’s all set right now.”
“Very well, very well, you are a noble girl, Jane. Jane, what is the name?”
“Kelly—Jane Kelly.”
“You’re a noble girl, Jane Kelly. I’d trust you with untold gold. No, not gold, there is something very tempting in gold, too tempting for human nature; but I’d trust you with silver untold, silver or bank-notes, if I only had them about me. But the times are so hard. Say fifty dollars down, all in solid silver; it’ll make your heart jump to hear the dollars fall upon each other. I tell you it’s enough to break one’s heart when such music goes the other way. Now you will take the fifty, that’s a dear good soul.”
Jane shook her head stubbornly.
“Now consider how much money is worth just now; fifty dollars is worth a hundred at any other time.”
Jane Kelly arose and prepared to go. Bad as she was, this woman’s clinging avarice disgusted her.
“Well, well, if you will be so hard-hearted, I must try and raise the money, though how it is to be done I can’t begin to tell. Wait a minute. Just step out into the passage, that’s a nice girl.”