"Only an uncle, and he's drunk most o' the time and won't give me nothin'."
"And won't any of your friends give you anything?"
"'Ain't got none, and I'm tired of askin' people ter give me victuals. There ain't no one as seems ter want ter. Yer see, I've got a kinder bad name round here. That's the reason I can't get no work."
"Wouldn't you like some money?" asked Teddy. "I've got some upstairs I could very well give you, if you would let me. Then you could buy yourself something to eat for a few days, at any rate."
The boy looked at her. "Yer a real good un," said he, after a moment's grateful pause. "If I had a little money ter git some decent clo'es, I might git some work somewhere or other. I'd rather be honest if I can, but a poor shabby-lookin' feller like me don't stand no chance, and everybody in Alden thinks I'm no good. If I could git away from here, I might git somethun ter do somewheres else. Do yer really mean yer'd give me some money?"
"Of course I do," replied Teddy; "I'll go up and get it now. It's in my bank. Suppose we put this light out and go back to the parlor; you can wait for me there."
They reached the drawing-room door, and Teddy, opening it, motioned to her guest to go in and be seated. The moonlight still flooded the room, and it lighted up the old silver snuffers and trays, the tall silver candelabra which flanked both ends of the two mantel-pieces, and even Great-grandfather Middleton's gold snuff-box, which was always kept upon a cabinet in the front of the room.
"Say!" exclaimed Andy Morse, in a sharp whisper; "ain't yer 'fraid ter leave me here with all them things? Ain't yer 'fraid I might steal 'em, after all?"
"Oh no," said Theodora, following him into the room and closing the door; "of course not. You just told me you wouldn't steal, that you were going to be honest, and of course I believe you."
And then she went out of the parlor and left him alone in the moonlight with the gold and the silver, and all the priceless china, from the Middleton bowl down. She was absent about ten minutes. When she returned she carried a small silk bag in her hand, which she gave to Morse.