She had husbanded her savings as a governess as closely as she could, but in spite of all her economy it dwindled till she had none left.
Henceforth, she must depend on twenty-five cents a day, and this seemed well-nigh impossible.
In this emergency the pawnbroker occurred to her.
She had a variety of nice dresses, and she had also a handsome ring, given her by her uncle on her last birthday.
This she felt sure must have cost fifty dollars.
It was a trial to part with it, but there seemed to be no alternative.
“If my uncle has withdrawn his affection from me,” she said to herself, “why should I scruple to pawn the ring? It is the symbol of a love that no longer exists.”
So she entered the pawnbrowker’s—the first that attracted her attention—and held out the ring.
“How much will you lend me on this?” she asked, half frightened at finding herself in such a place.
The pawnbroker examined it carefully. His practiced eye at once detected its value, but it was not professional to admit this.