To her delight, Barney gave her a necklace of pearl beads. Valancy had wanted a string of milky pearl beads — like congealed moonshine — all her life. And these were so pretty. All that worried her was that they were really too good. They must have cost a great deal — fifteen dollars, at least. Could Barney afford that? She didn’t know a thing about his finances. She had refused to let him buy any of her clothes — she had enough for that, she told him, as long as she would need clothes. In a round, black jar on the chimney-piece Barney put money for their household expenses — always enough. The jar was never empty, though Valancy never caught him replenishing it. He couldn’t have much, of course, and that necklace — but Valancy tossed care aside. She would wear it and enjoy it. It was the first pretty thing she had ever had.