t amount, but to pay it him
unbroken in all its gigantic grandeur; not only had the unknown
gentleman increased the stock by the sum of five shillings, which was a
perfect god-send and in itself a fortune; not only had these things
come to pass which nobody could have calculated upon, or in their
wildest dreams have hoped; but it was Barbara's quarter too--Barbara's
quarter, that very day--and Barbara had a half-holiday as well as Kit,
and Barbara's mother was going to make one of the party, and to take
tea with Kit's mother, and cultivate her acquaintance.

To be sure Kit looked out of his window very early that morning to see
which way the clouds were flying, and to be sure Barbara would have
been at hers too, if she had not sat up so late over-night, starching
and ironing small pieces of muslin, and crimping them into frills, and
sewing them on to other pieces to form magnificent wholes for next
day's wear. But they were both up very early for all that, and had
small appetites for breakfast and less for dinner, and were in a state
of great excitement when Barbara's mother came in, with astonishing
accounts of the fineness of the weather out of doors (but with a very
large umbrella notwithstanding, for people like Barbara's mother seldom
make holiday without one), and when the bell rang for them to go up
stairs and receive their quarter's money in gold and silver.

Well, wasn't Mr Garland kind when he said 'Christopher, here's your
money, and you have earned it well;' and wasn't Mrs Garland kind when
she said 'Barbara, here's yours, and I'm much pleased with you;' and
didn't Kit sign his name bold to his receipt, and didn't Barbara sign
her name all a trembling to hers; and wasn't it beautiful to see how
Mrs Garland poured out Barbara's mother a glass of wine; and didn't
Barbara's mother speak up when she said 'Here's blessing you, ma'am, as
a good lady, and you, sir, as a good gentleman, and Barbara, my love to
you, and here's towards you, Mr Christopher;' and wasn't she as long
drinking it as if it had been a tumblerful; and didn't she look
genteel, standing there with her gloves on; and wasn't there plenty of
laughing and talking among them as they reviewed all these things upon
the top of the coach, and didn't they pity the people who hadn't got a
holiday!

But Kit's mother, again--wouldn't anybody have supposed she had come of
a good stock and been a lady all her life! There she was, quite ready
to receive t