The shopman, as he handed her the mended brooch, said at the same time, “If you will excuse me, miss, you are one of the young ladies who live at Aylmer House?”
“Yes,” said Aneta, “that is true.”
“Then I wonder, miss, if”––He paused a minute, looked hard at the girl, and then continued, “Might my brother speak to you for a minute, miss?”
“But it make so cold!” said mademoiselle, who knew very little of the English tongue, “and behold—zee fog! I have such fear of it. It is not to joke when it fogs in your country, ma chère. Il faute bien dépêcher.”
“I shall be quite ready to come back with you in a minute or two,” said Aneta.
Just then the man who had bought the brooch from Maggie appeared. “I am very sorry, miss,” he said, “but I thought that, instead of writing to Miss Howland, I might send her a message; otherwise I should have to see Mrs. Ward on the matter.”
“But what matter is it?” said Aneta. “You want to see Miss Howland, or you want me to take her a message?”
“Well, miss, it’s no special secret; only my brother and I cannot afford to buy the brooch which she sold us the other day.”
“But I don’t understand,” said Aneta. “Miss Howland sold you a brooch? Then if she sold it, you did buy it.”
“The fact is, miss,” said young Pearce, coloring rather deeply, “I was not myself quite aware of its value at the time, and I gave the young lady much too small a sum of money for it. I want her to return me the money, and I will give her back the brooch. My brother and I have been talking it over, and we cannot do an injustice to one of the ladies at Aylmer House—it is quite impossible.”