“I understand,” said Barnabas, “that she came here with a Madame Fournier.”
Mrs. Higgins blazed. “She did. A French ’uzzy wot took and disappeared last June, leaving me with ’er child. Friend’s child she called it. I know them gimes. Just about as much a friend’s child as Madame ’ad a right to ’er title or ’er ring wot she wore so conspikus, I’ll be bound. Leaving me with the child on me ’ands, wot I kep’ from charity, and never so much has a penny piece to pay for ’er keep but wot she gets from them hartists as she goes to.”
“Then the child,” asked Barnabas, “is no relation of yours?”
“Relation of mine!” cried Mrs. Higgins indignantly and virtuously. “Do yer think hif she belonged to me as I’d allow ’er to be standing naked fer men to look at. I’m a respectable woman, I am, I thanks the Halmighty.” Mrs. Higgins ended with a loud sniff.
Barnabas suddenly felt a sensation of almost physical nausea. He seemed to hear Kostolitz’s voice begging him to leave the place, to get away from the filth of the atmosphere, and above all never to let the child return to it.
“Then,” said Barnabas decisively, “you will no doubt be glad to be relieved from the burden of maintaining her. She will not return here, and she will be provided for.”
Mrs. Higgins gasped at the suddenness of the statement. She felt something like dismay. She saw Pippa’s earnings, which had added largely to her weekly income, disappearing in the distance.
“And ’ow about the hexpense I’ve been put to!” she exclaimed. “Yer don’t feed a growing child for six months fer nothink, and me as kind to ’er as hif I’d been ’er own mother.” Mrs. Higgins began to sob here, moved to tears by the memory of her own tenderness.
Barnabas’ mouth set grimly.
“I think, Mrs. Higgins,” he remarked, “that the less you say about your treatment of the child the better. As far as her keep is concerned her own earnings have no doubt paid you more than adequately for the food you have given her. As however you will lose them in the future——”