"Who is he?" asked Mrs. Pomeroy. "Is he a young gentleman?"
"Oh, no, ma'am," replied Emily, laughing. "He is older than my father. I have known him ever since I can remember."
"Very well," said Mrs. Pomeroy, "I dare say it is all right. Money is very acceptable at these times, and, by the by, my dear, I can let you have a little, if you wish it."
"How foolish I was not to ask her before," thought Emily, but she only said, "Thank you, Mrs. Pomeroy, I shall be very glad of some, because I have not quite finished my presents."
"I suppose three dollars will be enough," said Mrs. Pomeroy, taking out her purse. "Your father does not wish you to be extravagant, and you must remember that at such a time as this, you are always in danger of spending more than you intend."
Emily would gladly have asked for more if she had dared, but she always stood very much in awe of Mrs. Pomeroy, and the feelings were not lessened by the consciousness of concealing a secret from her; so she took the three dollars thankfully, and retired anxious to examine her cousin's letter. Greatly was she rejoiced to find that it contained a bright, new ten dollar bill; so delighted was she indeed, that she hardly paused to read the kind letter which accompanied the liberal gift.
"Thirteen dollars?" she said to herself. "I am sure that those bills cannot amount to more than that. Oh, how glad I shall be to get them off my mind."
That very afternoon she asked and received permission to go down town, proposing to get rid of her indebtedness at once. Her bill at the bookstore was only two dollars, and was easily disposed of; but that at the dry-goods store was nearly ten, and at Barton's, where she had purchased her working materials, and many other little matters, the bill amounted to about the same sum.
Emily could hardly believe her ears or eyes. She was sure there was some mistake, but the items were all regularly set down, and she could not help remembering them all. She felt sick at heart as she reflected that after all her pains, she had not half enough funds to meet them. She paid the first amount and received a receipt, but what to do with the other she could not tell. Mr. Barton looked rather grim, when she proposed to take it home and look it over, spoke of hard times and shortness of cash, and finally intimated that if it were not paid soon, he should be under the necessity of appealing to Mrs. Pomeroy.
Emily promised to attend to it immediately, and having succeeded in pacifying the old man, she put the bill in her pocket and walked toward home, with her heart heavy enough. She was not, after all, much better off than she had been in the morning. If Mrs. Pomeroy found out about this bill, she might about as well know of all the rest; and Emily was almost tempted to wish she had let matters take their course, and saved her cash for future exigencies.