“That isn’t all!” exclaimed Mr. Flynt.  “We’ve got to have money.  We’ve been as easy on you as we could be.  We’ve let your bill run a good deal longer than we do most folks’ bills.  You’ve got to pay your debts, just as we have to pay ours.  Come now, I want some money!”

Bunny and Sue looked at each other.  Both had the same thought.  Sue dropped the broom and began feeling in her pocket beneath her handkerchief.  Sue had only one pocket, and she was lucky, being a girl, to have that.  Bunny had any number of pockets, and he was going through first one and then the other, finding different things in each—­a top, pieces of string, his knife, odd bits of stone, a very black piece of licorice, and some nails.  Bunny never knew when he might want some of these things.

“Here, Mrs. Golden!” exclaimed Sue, she being the first to get what she was after in her pocket.  “Here’s two cents I was going to spend for candy.  You can have it to give to the man!”

“Bless your heart, dearie!” murmured Mrs. Golden, “I can’t take your money.”

“And here’s my two cents!” exclaimed Bunny.  “You can keep it.  And you don’t need to give us any candy either.”

“No!” added Sue, though she had a catch in her breath as she said it, for she really wanted a bit of sweet stuff that day.

“No, no, my dear,” said Mrs. Golden, trying to smile, though there were tears in her eyes.  “Keep your money.  I’ll sell you some candy if you want it, but you mustn’t give your pennies away.  Anyhow, I must pay Mr. Flynt a great deal more than that.”

“I should say so!” exclaimed the black-bearded man, though, somehow or other, his voice was not quite so cross as before.  “Four cents wouldn’t pay postage on the bills we have sent you!

“But now, Mrs. Golden,” he went on, “I don’t want to be any harder on you than I have to.  If you’re going to get some money in, or your son is, and you can pay us what you owe we won’t sell you out.”

“Sell me out!” cried the old lady.  “Were you thinking of doing that?”

“We’ll have to if you don’t pay,” was the answer.  “You bought a lot of goods of us, and you must pay for them.  If you don’t we’ll have to take these things away,” and he looked around at the shelves of the store.

“If you take things away from her how can she sell them?” asked Bunny Brown.

“She can’t,” said Mr. Flynt.  “But she must pay.  Everybody must pay what they owe or be sold out.  Now I’ll give you a little more time,” he went on.  “I’ll tell them, back at the office, that you expect a legacy, and when that comes you must pay.”

“Yes, yes!  I’ll pay!” promised Mrs. Golden.  “Only give me a little more time and I’ll pay.”

“Well, see that you do!” grumbled the black-bearded man, who appeared to be crosser than ever now.  “When I come again I want money!”

He stalked out of the store with a scowl on his face, and Bunny and Sue looked first at each other and then at poor Mrs. Golden.