Her "or surely I shall die," brought a silver threepence from one of them, and a copper from each of the others.
Betty felt wealthy now, beyond the dreams of avarice. She had made a shilling in an hour!
She looked at the post office clock high up in the air there above her head, and it informed her that it was only a quarter past seven. Not eight o'clock yet! And she had made a shilling! Twelve pennies! As much as she received in six months by staying at home!
She sat down on the kerbstone to count her money, putting her feet in the dry gutter a la manière born. She made first of all a stack of her half-pennies, and then of her pennies. There were nine half-pennies, three pennies, a threepenny bit and a sixpence. The grand total she found was one and fourpence halfpenny. More than even John had started out with.
While she was thus like a small miser counting her money, a hand swooped suddenly down upon the heap of coppers and swept them away. Betty looked up to scream, but it was only John. And he warned her solemnly how easily such a dreadful theft could be committed.
"I wish to goodness the shops would open," he said discontentedly. "I'm beginning to want some breakfast, I can tell you."
Betty unfolded her hands and displayed her wealth of coin. "A shilling in an hour," she said, and John's look of surprised unbelief delighted her.
"You picked it up!" he said.
"Oh, I didn't!" cried Betty. "People gave it to me just for singing! A shilling an hour! I forget how much Madam S—— makes in an hour. I think its more than a pound!"
"Don't you want your breakfast?" asked John.