第45章 One of the Populace(2)

It certainly was an odd thing that happened to Sara.She had to cross the street just when she was saying this to herself The mud was dreadful--she almost had to wade.She picked her way as carefully as she could,but she could not save herself much;only,in picking her way,she had to look down at her feet and the mud,and in looking down--just as she reached the pavement--she saw something shining in the gutter.It was actually a piece of silver--a tiny piece trodden upon by many feet,but still with spirit enough left to shine a little.Not quite a sixpence,but the next thing to it--a fourpenny piece.

In one second it was in her cold little red-and-blue hand.

"Oh,"she gasped,"it is true!It is true!"

And then,if you will believe me,she looked straight at the shop directly facing her.And it was a baker's shop,and a cheerful,stout,motherly woman with rosy cheeks was putting into the window a tray of delicious newly baked hot buns,fresh from the oven--large,plump,shiny buns,with currants in them.

It almost made Sara feel faint for a few seconds--the shock,and the sight of the buns,and the delightful odors of warm bread floating up through the baker's cellar window.

She knew she need not hesitate to use the little piece of money.

It had evidently been lying in the mud for some time,and its owner was completely lost in the stream of passing people who crowded and jostled each other all day long.

"But I'll go and ask the baker woman if she has lost anything,"

she said to herself,rather faintly.So she crossed the pavement and put her wet foot on the step.As she did so she saw something that made her stop.

It was a little figure more forlorn even than herself--a little figure which was not much more than a bundle of rags,from which small,bare,red muddy feet peeped out,only because the rags with which their owner was trying to cover them were not long enough.Above the rags appeared a shock head of tangled hair,and a dirty face with big,hollow,hungry eyes.

Sara knew they were hungry eyes the moment she saw them,and she felt a sudden sympathy.

"This,"she said to herself,with a little sigh,"is one of the populace--and she is hungrier than I am."

The child--this "one of the populace"--stared up at Sara,and shuffled herself aside a little,so as to give her room to pass.

She was used to being made to give room to everybody.She knew that if a policeman chanced to see her he would tell her to "move on."

Sara clutched her little fourpenny piece and hesitated for a few seconds.Then she spoke to her.

"Are you hungry?"she asked.

The child shuffled herself and her rags a little more.

"Ain't I jist?"she said in a hoarse voice."Jist ain't I?"

"Haven't you had any dinner?"said Sara.

"No dinner,"more hoarsely still and with more shuffling.

"Nor yet no bre'fast--nor yet no supper.No nothin'.

"Since when?"asked Sara.

"Dunno.Never got nothin'today--nowhere.I've axed an'axed."

Just to look at her made Sara more hungry and faint.But those queer little thoughts were at work in her brain,and she was talking to herself,though she was sick at heart.

"If I'm a princess,"she was saying,"if I'm a princess--when they were poor and driven from their thrones--they always shared--with the populace--if they met one poorer and hungrier than themselves.

They always shared.Buns are a penny each.If it had been sixpence I could have eaten six.It won't be enough for either of us.

But it will be better than nothing."

"Wait a minute,"she said to the beggar child.

She went into the shop.It was warm and smelled deliciously.

The woman was just going to put some more hot buns into the window.

"If you please,"said Sara,"have you lost fourpence--a silver fourpence?"And she held the forlorn little piece of money out to her.

The woman looked at it and then at her--at her intense little face and draggled,once fine clothes.

"Bless us,no,"she answered."Did you find it?"

"Yes,"said Sara."In the gutter."

"Keep it,then,"said the woman."It may have been there for a week,and goodness knows who lost it.YOU could never find out."

"I know that,"said Sara,"but I thought I would ask you."

"Not many would,"said the woman,looking puzzled and interested and good-natured all at once.

"Do you want to buy something?"she added,as she saw Sara glance at the buns.

"Four buns,if you please,"said Sara."Those at a penny each."

The woman went to the window and put some in a paper bag.

Sara noticed that she put in six.

"I said four,if you please,"she explained."I have only fourpence."

"I'll throw in two for makeweight,"said the woman with her good-natured look."I dare say you can eat them sometime.

Aren't you hungry?"

A mist rose before Sara's eyes.

"Yes,"she answered."I am very hungry,and I am much obliged to you for your kindness;and"--she was going to add--"there is a child outside who is hungrier than I am."But just at that moment two or three customers came in at once,and each one seemed in a hurry,so she could only thank the woman again and go out.

The beggar girl was still huddled up in the corner of the step.

She looked frightful in her wet and dirty rags.She was staring straight before her with a stupid look of suffering,and Sara saw her suddenly draw the back of her roughened black hand across her eyes to rub away the tears which seemed to have surprised her by forcing their way from under her lids.She was muttering to herself.

Sara opened the paper bag and took out one of the hot buns,which had already warmed her own cold hands a little.

"See,"she said,putting the bun in the ragged lap,"this is nice and hot.Eat it,and you will not feel so hungry."

The child started and stared up at her,as if such sudden,amazing good luck almost frightened her;then she snatched up the bun and began to cram it into her mouth with great wolfish bites.

"Oh,my!Oh,my!"Sara heard her say hoarsely,in wild delight.

"OH my>!"

Sara took out three more buns and put them down.