Now on ordinary occasions this was the critical stage of the performance for the young mountebanks, as upon what it yielded depended the grave question of the morrow's bread, and too often, alas! the results were pitifully meager! Many a time had poor little Nadine, upon whom the chief burden of responsibility rested, found it hard to keep back the tears when, as Lydia set out with her bowl, the majority of those who had been watching the performance turned their backs upon the children who had been doing their best to amuse them. Ah! yes, many a time had Nadine, who had learned by experience to gauge her audience pretty accurately by one glance at them, felt her heart sink at the critical moment.
But this time nobody slipped away. They all remained in their places, and seemed eager to respond to the appeal about to be made.
Nadine first led Lydia up to Madame Pradère, who had called for her that she might be the first to drop a coin into her bowl.
Lydia, as was her custom, repeated in her childish quavering voice, the words:
"For the little Tambys, ladies and gentlemen, a trifle if you please."
But it looked as if she would be more than taken at her word, for Madame Pradère set a fine example by dropping a gold piece into the bowl!
When Nadine saw this the color rose in her charming face, and she murmured in a voice that trembled with feeling:
"Oh, Madame, thank you! thank you!"
"Never mind thanks, continue your round," laughed Madame Pradère giving Lydia a gentle push towards the Colonel. Then, turning to Nadine, she added: "You have given me a great deal of pleasure, my sweet one, I assure you, and we shall want you to sing something more for us—another song about a child, if you can, you can do it with such expression. It goes right to one's heart."
"I shall be glad to do as you desire, Madame," responded Nadine, and, with a graceful bow, she followed Lydia, whose little cries of joy showed that her mission was proving successful beyond precedent. In fact she was receiving white money—nothing but white money—no dark coins at all. She had never before had such good fortune, and in her joy she forgot her sister's admonitions, and danced about exclaiming: