They were rather large centrepieces, all of the same pattern, which was stamped, but not embroidered. "There's a lot of work on those," remarked Patty. "Oh, you _are_ green!" said the woman. She jerked out another similar centrepiece, on which a small section, perhaps one-eighth of the whole, was worked in silks. "This is what you're to do," she explained, in a tired, cross voice. "You work this corner, and that's all." "Who works the rest?" asked Patty, amazed at this plan. "Why, the buyer. We sell these to the shops; they sell them to people who use this finished corner as a guide to do the rest of the piece. Can't you understand?" "Yes, I can, now that you explain it," returned Patty. "Then if I take a dozen, I'm to work just that little corner on each one; is that it?" "That's it," said the woman, wearily, as if she were making the explanation for the thousandth time,--as she probably was. "You can take this as a guide for yourself," she went on, a little more kindly, "and here's the silks. Did you say a dozen?" "Wait a minute," said Patty; "how much do you pay?" "Five dollars." "Apiece, I suppose. Yes, I'll take a dozen." The woman gave a hard little laugh. "Five dollars apiece!" she said. "Not much! We pay five dollars a dozen." "A dozen? Five dollars for all that work! Why, each of those corners is as much work as a whole doily." "Yes, just about; do you work fast?" "Yes; pretty fast." Patty was doing some mental calculation. Three dozen of those pieces meant an interminable lot of work. But it also meant fifteen dollars, and Patty's spirit was now fully roused. "I'll take three dozen," she said, decidedly; "and I'll bring them back, finished, a week from to-day." "My, you must be a swift worker," said the woman, in a disinterested voice. She was already sorting out silks, as with a practised hand, and making all into a parcel. Patty was about to offer her a visiting card, as she assumed she must give her address, when the woman said: "Eighteen dollars, please." "What?" said Patty. "What for?" "Security. You don't suppose we let everybody walk off with our materials, and never come back, do you?" "Do you doubt my honesty?" said Patty, haughtily. "Don't doubt anybody's honesty," was the reply. "Some folks don't have any to doubt. But it's the rule of the house. Six dollars a dozen is the deposit price for that pattern." "But eighteen dollars is more than you're going to pay me for the work," said Patty. "Yes," said the woman, "but can't you understand? This is a deposit to protect ourselves if you never return, or if you spoil the work. If you bring it back in satisfactory condition, at the appointed time, we return your deposit, and pay you the price agreed upon for the work." "Oh, I see," said Patty, taking out her purse. "And it does seem fair. But isn't it hard for poor girls to put up that deposit?" "Yes, it is." The woman's face softened a little. "But they get it back,--if they do the work right."