He turned and gripped Miss Gordon’s hand. “Thank you mightily for looking after Minnie,” he said. “I can’t give you money now for her keep, or she would refuse to go with you. Later, I’ll see that you’re repaid.”
The teacher assured him that pay for an act of kindness had not entered her mind. Promising to let him know how matters went with Mrs. Myles, she escorted her Brownie charges to the parked car.
“What was Sam saying to you?” the widow demanded as they squeezed into the sedan beside her.
Before anyone could answer, she announced flatly: “If he’s given you money for my keep, I won’t go an inch—not an inch!”
“Mr. Vincent didn’t give me any money,” Miss Gordon said in a soothing voice. “He is concerned about your future though.”
“I can imagine!” Mrs. Myles retorted. “I’ll have nothing to do with him and that’s final.”
Although the Brownies longed to question the widow about the lost five hundred dollars, they knew better than to do so.
She herself abruptly changed the subject by talking about the cross-stitched pillow which Veve had bought.
“My mother made that pillow and set great store by it,” she remarked sadly. “It’s gone now—everything is gone.”
“You keep it,” Veve said quickly. “Please take it back.”