"
"But I must keep my ten shillings," exclaimed Jasmine "Oh! Miss
Egerton, don't, don't! You don't know what has happened to me!"
Miss Egerton took Jasmine's little hand in hers.
"My poor child, you shall tell me all. Jasmine, dear, that lace is
worth pounds. I shall redeem it at once, for my sake, if not for
yours. There, poor little girl, keep your ten shillings, if it makes
you happy."
The man who had lent Jasmine half a sovereign on the Spanish lace of
course knew little or nothing of its true value, and the good lady had
therefore small difficulty in getting it back. She walked home holding
Jasmine's hot little hand, took her into her own pretty drawing-room,
feasted her on many good things, which she had brought from the
country, and finally made her tell her all her sorrowful little story.
"You always said that my writing was not up to much," said Jasmine, in
conclusion. "I did not like you to say it, and I was most anxious to
prove you wrong, but now I know that you are right."
Miss Egerton looked quietly at the excited child.
"My dear," she said, in her gentle tones, "I do not know--no one
knows--whether in the future you will be able to write.
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