shed out of the sores at once,
she'll come to no harm. Likely as not there'll be nothing for the vet
to do by the time he arrives. At the worst it'll be only a few
stitches. She'll soon get over that."

Cornelia shivered, and bit hard on her lower lip. She slipped her hand
into an inside pocket of the white coat, and, coming a step nearer,
dropped a coin into the man's hand. He cast down his eyes, started, and
flushed a deep red.

"Thank you, miss. Beg pardon, but you've made a mistake!"

A sovereign lay brightly on his grimy palm; he stared at it with
respectful awe, scarcely regretful, since it did not enter his mind to
conceive that such a munificent gift could seriously have been offered
for his acceptance. It had seldom happened that he had had the handling
of such a fortune, since his whole weekly earnings reached a total of
eighteen shillings, but Cornelia in her turn looked abashed and
discomfited, thrusting her hand once again into the tightly-buttoned
little pocket.

"I'm sorry! I ken't get used to your money over here. Will that make
it enough?"

To the man's utter stupefaction she placed a second sovereign beside the
first in his outstretched palm. He stared at it with distended eyes,
thrilled by the discovery that she _had_ meant it after all, awed by the
revelation of such munificence.

"Beg pardon, miss, I was thinking as you'd mistook it for a shilling,
not making so bold as to complain. I thank your ladyship kindly! I'm
sure I can't rightly say what I ought--"

He stuttered, incoherent with excitement, but even as he spoke he held
out the second sovereign, and Cornelia understood that his good feeling
permitted him to accept only what had been originally offered. She
would have felt the same in his place, and realising as much, took back
the coin without a demur.

"Well! it's waiting for you next time I come, if you've done your duty
by that mare."

She turned, and walked slowly back to where the two men were standing
talking together, some eight or ten yards away. Their backs were turned
towards her, and her assailant of a few minutes past was evidently
answering an appeal from his friend. She caught the last words as she
drew near: "I will go to the stable and look after the mare. ... You
can take them up to the house without my help. I can't stand any more
of that girl--"

He wheeled round as he spoke, and found himself face to face with
Cornelia. They stared each othe