ent her a few bad
sixpences, for which she ordered her to bring home good ones at
night. Betty stared. Mrs. Sponge said, "Betty, those who would get
money, must not be too nice about trifles. Keep one of these
sixpences in your hand, and if an ignorant young customer gives you
a good sixpence, do you immediately slip it into your other hand,
and give him the bad one, declaring that it is the very one you have
just received, and be ready to swear that you have not another
sixpence in the world. You must also learn how to treat different
sorts of customers. To some you may put off, with safety, goods
which would be quite unsaleable to others. Never offer bad fruit,
Betty, to those who know better; never waste the good on those who
may be put off with worse; put good oranges at top to attract the
eye, and the mouldy ones under for sale."

Poor Betty had not a nice conscience, for she had never learned that
grand, but simple rule of all moral obligation, _Never do that to
another which you would not have another do to you._ She set off
with her barrow, as proud and as happy as if she had been set up in
the first shop in Covent Garden. Betty had a sort of natural good
temper, which made her unwilling to impose, but she had no principle
which told her it was sin to do so. She had such good success, that
when night came, she had not an orange left. With a light heart she
drove her empty barrow to Mrs. Sponge's door. She went in with a
merry face, and threw down on the counter every farthing she had
taken. "Betty," said Mrs. Sponge, "I have a right to it all, as it
was got by my money. But I am too generous to take it. I will
therefore only take a sixpence for this day's use of my five
shillings. This is a most reasonable interest, and I will lend you
the same sum to trade with to-morrow, and so on; you only paying me
sixpence for the use of it every night, which will be a great
bargain to you. You must also pay me my price every night for your
supper, and you shall have an excellent lodging above stairs; so you
see every thing will now be provided for you in a genteel manner,
through my generosity."[11]

[11] For an authentic account of numberless frauds of this kind,
see that very useful work of Mr. Colquhoun on the "Police of the
Metropolis of London."

Poor Betty's gratitude blinded her so completely, that she had
forgot to calculate the vast proportion which this generous
benefactress was to receive out of her litt