She could
only publish with Meesons's, and at the fixed pay of seven per cent on
the advertised price of her work. Now, something over three years had
elapsed since the death of Mrs. Smithers, and it will therefore be
obvious that there was not much remaining of the six hundred pounds which
she had left behind her. The two girls had, indeed, lived economically
enough in a couple of small rooms in a back street; but their expenses
had been enormously increased by the serious illness, from a pulmonary
complaint, of the little girl Jeannie, now a child between twelve and
thirteen years of age. On that morning, Augusta had seen the doctor and
been crushed into the dust by the expression of his conviction, that,
unless her little sister was moved to a warmer climate, for a period of
at least a year, she would not live through the winter, and _might_ die
at any moment.
Take Jeannie to a warmer climate! He might as well have told Augusta to
take her to the moon. Alas, she had not the money and did not know where
to turn to get it! Oh! reader, pray to Heaven that it may never be your
lot to see your best beloved die for the want of a few hundred pounds
wherewith to save her life!
It was in this terrible emergency that she had--driven thereto by her
agony of mind--tried to get something beyond her strict and legal due out
of Meeson's--Meeson's that had made hundreds and hundreds out of her book
and paid her fifty pounds.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44