“About the guinea? Perhaps we can cry quits, Mr. Barth. Still, your mistake was justifiable. You took me for a nurse.”
“Yes. And so you were.”
“Thank you for the implied compliment. But, I mean, for a hired nurse.”
“Certainly. I did hire you. At least, I paid you wa—”
In mercy to his later reflections, Nancy cut him off in the midst of his phrase.
“Perhaps. We knew you wouldn’t let me do it out of charity, so my father collected his usual fee in two ways.”
Barth’s glasses had fallen from his nose. Now, his eyes still on Nancy’s face, he felt vaguely for the string.
“And you never received your money?”
Again the frosty accent came into Nancy’s tone.
“Certainly not.”