seemed to him altogether too delicate and
refined to be a poor man's daughter.

"Perhaps I maybe able to do something by and by, when _mon pere_ gets
better."

"What can you do?"

"I can sew, and do any work that I can take home with me."

"Ah, _ma fille_, you can take in no work. I shall soon be able to go to
the shop again," interposed Andre.

"I have a great deal of spare time, _mon pere_. I am able, and O, I am
so willing to work for you!"

"Perhaps I may be of service to you," suggested Mr. Checkynshaw.

"Thank you, sir."

"You speak French, miss, I think you said," added the banker, with an
assumed indifference.

"Yes, sir."

"Can you write it correctly?"

"Yes, sir, I think I can."

"Maggie is a very good scholar, and she writes French quite as well as
she does English."

"Perhaps you will be willing to give me a specimen of your skill in
translating."

"Certainly, sir, if you desire it."

Mr. Checkynshaw took from his pocket the letter he had written in his
private office, and the French note paper he had purchased at the
stationery store, and handed them to her.

"If you will sit down in the other room, and give me a translation into
French of this letter, I can at once determine whether you would be of
any service to us. If you are, we will pay you very liberally; but most
of our work of this kind is translating French into English."

"I will try, sir," replied Maggie.

"I will stay here with your father while you do it."

Maggie went into the rear room; and in less than half an hour she
produced a translation of the letter handed to her.

"That is excellently well done, miss," said Mr. Checkynshaw, when he
had glanced at the translation. "You write a beautiful hand. It is even
better than my daughter's."

"You are very kind, sir."

"I will keep this as a specimen of your work. Here are two dollars for
the job," added Mr. Checkynshaw, as he gave her the money.

"Indeed, sir, you are too kind. I don't ask any money for that."

"Take it, Maggie; I always pay people that work for me, especially when
they do their work as well as you have done this. Take it, miss, or I
shall be offended."

It was not safe to offend such a munificent patron, and Maggie took the
money, blushing as she did so.

Mr. Checkynshaw folded up the translation, and put it into his pocket;
and, promising to send her some more letters in a few days, he took his
leave. The banker went back to his private off