She crept down the few remaining steps, and, still obliged to support herself, made signs that they should pick up the money and purse and restore it to her. But the wild things took fright the moment they saw her take notice of them. They fled, and she sat down despairingly, not liking to go away and leave her wealth upon the ground, yet feeling that if she stooped she would faint away. At the moment she saw Felix approaching. He looked surprised to find her seated upon the dusty step. "Supper is ready," he said. "Will you come?" Then he saw that she was very white, and added hastily, "Are you ill?" She shook her head without speaking. He came nearer. "Something is the matter," he said. She spoke with difficulty. "I'm shaken. I fell down these stairs. I trod upon something that--rolled. I am so sorry. If you will excuse me, I will come--soon." His expression changed, and grew concerned. "You have hurt yourself. You can hardly speak," he asserted. "It's getting better, fast--only it was a shock," she said, bravely trying for a smile. "I wonder if you would be so very kind as to pick up my--purse for me." "Shall I get you some water or something?" he asked, anxiously. She shook her head. "I am getting better. I shall be able to walk directly." "Where are you hurt?" he inquired, kneeling beside her. His face expressed more than concern. She felt a troubling of the senses, a commotion of the heart as she replied, "Oh, nowhere in particular. I--fell--against the railing. Just bruised a little--and it took away my breath." He knelt there, gazing upon her with an intensity which she felt she could hardly bear. In the stillness each of them, in fancy, was back in the Deptford lodging. She guessed something of the thoughts in his mind. "I shall be all right--I'm quite, perfectly strong," she eagerly assured him. It seemed that he was unable to speak. To hide his emotion he turned from her, and began to collect the coins and put them back in the pretty silver-mounted purse. "I suppose," he asked presently, speaking with his back to her, "that you don't remember how much you had?" "I remember there were four--no, five--pieces of gold, and about a pound's worth of silver." "Then I think I have got most of it." Still kneeling with his back to her, he opened the central division of the purse to put the gold inside it. Something lay there, safely shut in. It was a slender silver chain with half a broken sixpence attached to it by a ring. Feelings such as he could not name shook the young man from head to foot. In his male selfishness, or not realizing what the girl was suffering, he turned round upon her, swift and keen, an angry glitter in his eyes because of the tears in his heart. "I had better throw this away, had I not?" said he.