“I’d like to pay Miss Polly back that pound as Maggie took from her.”
“Don’t worry me about your debts. Will you have this beautiful uncut diamond for the money you have in the house?”
Mrs. Ricketts did not reply for a moment.
“I have nine shillings and fourpence-halfpenny,” she said at last, “and to-morrow is rent day. Rent will be eight shillings; that leaves me one-and-fourpence-half penny for food. Ef I give you all my money, Miss, how am I to pay rent? And how are the children to have food to-morrow?”
“But you can sell the diamond. Why are you so dreadfully stupid? You can sell the diamond for one, two, or perhaps three pounds. Then how rich you will be.”
“Oh, Miss! there’s no one in this yer village ’ud give away good money for a bit of a stone like that; they’d know better. My word! it do send out a sort of a flame, though; it’s wondrous to look upon!”
“People will buy it from you in a town. Go to the nearest town, take it to a jeweler, and see how rich you will be when you come out of his shop. There, I will give it to you for your nine-and-fourpence-half penny.”
Flower laid the diamond in the woman’s hand.
“It seems to burn me like,” she said. But all the same her fingers closed over it, and a look of greed and satisfaction filled her face.
“I don’t know if I’m a-doin’clock right,” she said, “for perhaps this ain’t worth sixpence, and then where’s the rent and the food? But, all the same, I don’t like to say no to a pretty lady when she’s in trouble. Here’s the nine-and-fourpence-halfpenny, Miss. I earned it bit by bit by washing the neighbors’ clothes; it wasn’t easy come by; there’s labor in it, and aches and dead-tiredness about it. You take it, Miss. I only trust the diamond will repay what I loses on that nine-and-fourpence-half penny.”