breath, and Kate out of her
suspicions. As her cousin went upstairs to take off her things Kate
began to feel like a culprit in the matter, as though she ought to beg
her cousin's pardon for judging her unjustly; and yet when she was left
alone again calmly to think over all that had happened that afternoon
and many previous afternoons, she could not but think that her
suspicions were correct; she rather dreaded Marion coming down again,
but, to her surprise, Marion seemed to have forgotten her anger by the
time she appeared, and came into the shop smiling and pleasant as
though nothing had happened.

"I have not told Mrs. Maple anything about our quarrel, Kate," she
said, quite coolly; "I am sure you do not mean what you said just now,
and it would vex her, I know, if she knew we had begun quarrelling."

"I almost wish you had told her," said Kate.

"Well, my dear, I am not so fond of making other people uncomfortable
as you are, and so I think we had better keep the affair to ourselves.
I don't mind telling you this much, I do sometimes give William a bun
over what he pays for, at the retail price--let him have them at the
wholesale rate, as he is a pretty good customer."

"But now let me try and remember what William had, for I went to the
drawers and filled up the plates again."

"That was right; never let your plates be half empty if you can fill
them. Now you had better tell me what William had," and Marion took a
note-book from her pocket, and appeared to set done the items as Kate
could recall them.

"I don't think he had anything else," said Kate, when nearly a
shilling's worth had been called over.

"Well, we'll forgive him if he has," said Marion, replacing the book in
her pocket with a smile. "Don't look so grave, Kate; I'm not going to
rob Mrs. Maple, as you accused me of doing a little while ago.
Everybody in business lets their own friends have things at a wholesale
rate. Mrs. Maple sells to the shops on those terms, and why shouldn't
I let William have them at the same price? it makes no difference to
her."

"Oh, yes it does--it must; and, besides, the things are not ours, but
hers, and we ought to sell them at the regular price, and no other."

"You are too strict, but you will find out that such strict notions
won't do in business. I tell you everybody does it--show their friends
a little favour in buying and selling, and we must do the same or we
might as well be in a convent."