conspicuous as if placed there on purpose, stood the
cup. I darted forward to beg my father to let me wait a moment, but just
then, curiously enough, he had met a friend and was standing talking to
him, and when I touched his arm, he turned rather hastily, for, as I
told you, he had not been pleased with my way of replying about my
grandmother. And he said to me I must not be so impatient, but wait till
he had finished speaking to Mr. Lennox. I asked him if I might look in at
the shop window, and he said 'Yes, of course I might,' so I flew back,
the bits rattle-rattling in my pocket, and stood gazing at the twin-cup.
I must tell you that I happened to have in my possession an unusual
amount of money just then--ten shillings, actually ten whole shillings,
which my father had given me on my birthday, and as I always brought my
purse with me when I came into the town, there it was all ready! I looked
and looked at the cup till I was satisfied it was a perfect match, then
glancing up the street and seeing my father still talking to his friend,
I crept timidly into the shop, and asked the price of the pink cup and
saucer in the window.

"The old man in the shop was a German; afterwards my grandmother told me
he was a Jew, and well accustomed to having his prices beaten down. He
looked at me curiously and said to me,

"'Ach! too moch for leetle young lady like you. Zwanzig--twenty
schelling, that cup. Old lady bought von, vill come again buy anoder.
Zwanzig--twenty schelling.'

"I grew more and more eager. The old lady he spoke of must be my
grandmother; I had often heard my father laugh at her for poking about
old shops; I felt perfectly certain the cups were exactly alike. I begged
the old man to let me have it, and opened my purse to show him all I
had--the ten shilling piece, two sixpences and a fourpenny, and a few
coppers. That was all, and the old man shook his head. It was too little,
'twenty schelling,' he repeated, or at the very least, to oblige the
'young lady,' fifteen. I said to him I had not got fifteen--eleven and
nine-pence was everything I possessed, and at last, in my eagerness, I
nearly burst into tears. I really do not know if the old man was sorry
for me, or if he only thought of getting my money; however that may have
been, he took my purse out of my hand and slowly counted out the money.
I meanwhile, nearly dancing with impatience, while he repeated
'nine-pence, von schelling, zehn schelling ach vell