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22 own poverty permitted, improve her circumstances, without allowing her to know that she owed him any obligation. He meant, indeed, by his gifts, to assist the daughter more than the mother. He had received secret intelligence that Mela desired very much to have a new dress which her mother had refused her, under the pretext of bad times. He was greatly afraid that the present of a gown piece, from an unknown hand, would not be received, and that all his hopes would be ruined were he to name himself as the giver. Chance unexpectedly procured him an opportunity of arranging every thing according to his wishes.

Mother Brigitta complained to a neighbour that the crop of lint having entirely failed, it cost more than her customers liked to pay for it, and this branch of trade, was therefore, at present, quite unprofitable. Frank did not wait for this to be repeated, before he hurried to a goldsmith, sold a pair of his mother’s gold earrings, bought a quantity of lint and sent a woman, whom he bribed for that purpose, to offer it to his neighbour, at a very moderate price. The bargain was soon concluded, and