''Here you are, Sue,'' he said. He lifted my hand and pressed the shilling in it. It was a bad one. ''All well?'' he added softly, so that Maud should not overhear.
I said, ''Oh, thank you, sir!'' And I made another curtsey, and winked.—Two curious things to do together, as it happened, and I would not recommend you try it: for I fear the wink unbalanced the curtsey; and I''m certain the curtsey threw off the wink.
I don''t think Gentleman noticed, however. He only smiled in a satisfied way, bowed again, and left us. Maud looked once at me, then went silently to her own room and closed the door—I don''t know what she did in there. I sat until she called me, a half-hour later, to help her change into her gown for dinner.
I sat and tossed the shilling. ''Well,'' I thought, ''bad coins will gleam as well as good.''
But I thought it in a discontented sort of way; and didn''t know why.
That night she stayed an hour or two after supper, reading to her uncle and to Gentleman in the drawing-room. I had not seen the drawing-room then. I only knew what she did when I wasn''t with her, through Mr Way or Mrs Stiles happening to remark on it as we took our meals. I still passed my evenings in the kitchen and in Mrs Stiles''s pantry; and pretty dull evenings they generally were. This night, however, was different. I went down to find Mar