“I will pay it,” said Gilbert, glad that the amount was not beyond his resources.
The little girl impulsively seized his hand and carried it to her lips.
“Oh, how kind you are!” she said.
“Are you sure it will not inconvenience you?” asked Mr. Talbot.
“Oh, no, sir.”
“Then I will accept the loan with thanks. You are a friend in need.”
The landlady took the money with avidity, for she had considered the debt a bad one.
“Thank you, young man,” she said; adding, in an apologetic tone, “You may think me hard, but I have to be. I have to live myself.”
Gilbert listened coldly, for he was disgusted with the woman’s coarse and brutal manners.
“And I hope you’ll get well soon, sir,” she said, turning to Mr. Talbot; but he did not answer her.