“Because,” replied the girl,—for her mother could not speak French,—“because, though it is a good deal for you to give, it would be of no use to us. To save us we want two hundred francs—that is, ten gold napoleons. Who would give them to us?”
“Ten pieces of gold money,” cried my little friend. “Wait a minute; I know somebody who has them.”
He gave Cressida into the care of Jacques, and running after Adrienne, took her by the hand, and led her up to this poor family.
“Give your money to these good people,” said he.
“No, indeed!” replied Adrienne, astonished; “my papa told me to buy something with the money for myself, and I’m not going to give it to beggars.”
“But just consider, Adrienne,” said her English governess, who had followed her, “whether you would not do well to give some help to this unhappy woman and her little children: such a kind action would be all the kinder if you do it by the sacrifice of something you intended to buy for yourself.”
“But my papa does not wish me to make sacrifices,” said Adrienne. And nothing that her governess or Maurice could say would induce her to part with her money.
Maurice thought for a moment of going home to his mother to ask her for the two hundred francs; but remembering that she would certainly be in his father’s sick-room nursing him, he felt that it would not do to disturb or trouble her now. Then he turned to Jacques.
“Can you lend me two hundred francs, Jacques?”
“Two hundred francs!” cried Jacques; “why you would not surely give so much to people you know nothing about. But at all events I don’t possess two hundred francs.”