"How did you get money enough to pay for a year's board and tuition here?"
"I earned it all madam, every cent of it. As soon as I was big enough I went into a factory, and earned two dollars a week at first, and finally three dollars and a half; and I worked for my board nights and mornings."
"Poor child!"
"Oh no, ma'am, I was very glad to do it."
"But how did you keep along so well with your studies?"
"I used to fix a book open on my loom, where I could catch a sentence now and then, and the overseer did not object, because I always did my work well. You see, madam, I wanted to be a teacher sometime, and I'd have a better chance to learn here than anywhere else, so I determined to do it."
"What are your plans for the long vacation?"
"I must go back to the factory and earn enough to get some warmer clothes for the winter. You see, madam, why I can't afford to dress better."