But how his countenance changed! The hat was heavy with shillings. Every one who had taken a mat had put in two shillings; so that for the eighteen mats, he had got thirty-six shillings.
"Thirty-six shillings!" said the lady. "Five and seven-pence I think you told me you had earned already—how much does that make? I must add, I believe, one other six-pence to make out your two guineas."
"Two guineas!" exclaimed Jem, now quite conquering his bashfulness, for at the moment he forgot where he was, and saw nobody that was by.
"Two guineas!" cried he, clapping his hands together—"O Lightfoot! O mother!"
Then recollecting himself; he saw his mistress, whom he now looked up to quite as a friend.
"Will you thank them all," said he, scarcely daring to glance his eye round upon the company, "will you thank 'em? For you know I don't know how to thank 'em rightly."
Every body thought, however, that they had been thanked rightly.
"Now we won't keep you any longer—only," said his mistress, "I have one thing to ask you, that I may be by when you show your treasure to your mother."
"Come, then," said Jem, "come with me now."
"Not now," said the lady laughing, "but I will come to Ashton to-morrow evening; perhaps your mother can find me a few strawberries."