"Here," he said to the astonished girl, "you take this to
your father. Tell him I sent it to him for his babies. Tell him
to start a bank account with it."
This was clearly not a case with which one small addled mind
could deal, or at least, so Maggie decided. She had a hazy idea
that Alfred was adding something to the original purchase price
of her young sisters, but she was quite at a loss to know how to
refuse the offer of such a "grand 'hoigh" gentleman, even though
her failure to do so would no doubt result in a beating when she
reached home. She stared at Alfred undecided what to do, the
money still lay in her outstretched hand.
"I'm afraid Pa'll niver loike it, sir," she said.
"Like it?" exclaimed Alfred in high feather, and he himself
closed her red little fingers over the bill, "he's GOT to like
it. He'll GROW to like it. Now you run along," he concluded to
Maggie, as he urged her toward the door, "and tell him what I
say."
"Yes, sir," murmured Maggie, far from sharing Alfred's
enthusiasm.
Feeling no desire to renew his acquaintance with Maggie,
particularly under Alfred's watchful eye, Jimmy had sought his
old refuge, the high backed chair. As affairs progressed and
there seemed no doubt of Zoie's being able to handle the
situation to the satisfaction of all concerned, Jimmy allowed
exhaustion and the warmth of the firelight to have their way with
him.
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