d, gruffly:
"You vill not get der vatch, for you haf prought me bad money."

"You are mistaken, sir; I have just received that gold-piece from a
respectable lawyer, for whom I have been working during the week, and
I know he would not take advantage of me by paying me with counterfeit
money," the young girl explained; but she had, nevertheless, grown
very pale while speaking.

"Ah! maybe not--maybe not, miss; not if he knew it," said the
pawnbroker, now adopting a wheedling and pitiful tone as he drew forth
the shining piece and pushed it toward her. "Somebody may haf sheeted
him; but it haf not der true ring of gold, and you'll haf to bring me
der t'ree dollars some oder time, miss."

The girl's delicate face flushed, and tears sprang to her eyes. She
stood looking sadly down upon the money for a moment, then, with a
weary sigh, replaced it in her purse, together with the ticket, and
left the shop without a word; while the tricky pawnbroker looked after
her, a smile of cunning triumph wreathing his coarse lips, as he
gleefully washed his hands, behind the counter, with "invisible soap
in imperceptible water."

"Oh, mamma! poor mamma! what shall I do?" murmured the girl, with a
heart-broken sob, as she stepped forth upon the street again. "I was
so happy to think I had earned enough to redeem your precious watch,
and also get something nice and nourishing for your Sunday dinner; but
now--what can I do? Oh, it is dreadful to be so poor!"

Another sob choked her utterance, and the glistening tears rolled
thick and fast over her cheeks; but she hurried on her way, and, after
a brisk walk of ten or fifteen minutes, turned into a side street and
presently entered a dilapidated-looking house.

Mounting a flight of rickety stairs, she entered a room where a dim
light revealed a pale and wasted woman lying upon a poor but
spotlessly clean couch.

The room was also clean and orderly, though very meagerly furnished,
but chill and cheerless, for there was not life enough in the
smoldering embers within the stove to impart much warmth with the
temperature outside almost down to zero.

"Edith, dear, I am so glad you have come," said a faint but sweet
voice from the bed.

"And, mamma, I never came home with a sadder heart," sighed the weary
and almost discouraged girl, as she sank upon a low chair at her
mother's side.

"How so, dear?" questioned the invalid; whereupon her daughter gave an
account of her recent intervie