She took a moment to look at it collecting her thoughts,
and as she did so her woman's wit came to her aid.
"Oh dear, Mr. Dunn, it is very pretty; quite a beautiful picture. I
cannot let Susan rob you of that. You must keep that for some of
your own particular friends."
"But I did it for her," said Aaron innocently.
Susan looked down at the ground, half pleased at the declaration.
The drawing would look very pretty in a small gilt frame put over
her dressing-table. But the matter now was altogether in her
mother's hands.
"I am afraid it is too valuable, sir, for Susan to accept."
"It is not valuable at all," said Aaron, declining to take it back
from the widow's hand.
"Oh, I am quite sure it is. It is worth ten dollars at least--or
twenty," said poor Mrs. Bell, not in the very best taste. But she
was perplexed, and did not know how to get out of the scrape. The
article in question now lay upon the table-cloth, appropriated by no
one, and at this moment Hetta came into the room.
"It is not worth ten cents," said Aaron, with something like a frown
on his brow. "But as we had been talking about the bridge, I
thought Miss Susan would accept it."
"Accept what?" said Hetta. And then her eye fell upon the drawing
and she took it up.
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