its gracious burden of
rich, nourishing catsup.

He began to alter the scenario of his own life. Suppose he had worked
two more weeks for Gashwiler. That would have given him thirty dollars.
Suppose he had worked a month. He could have existed a long time
on sixty dollars. Suppose he had even stuck it out for one week
more-fifteen dollars at this moment! He began to see a breakfast, the
sort of meal to be ordered by a hungry man with fifteen dollars to
squander.

The shivering seized him again and he heard his teeth rattle. He
must move from this spot, forever now to be associated with black
disillusion. He arose from his seat and was dismayed to hear a hail from
the Montague girl. Was he never to be free from her? She was poised at
a little distance, one hand raised to him, no longer the drenched victim
of a capricious Rosenblatt, but the beaming, joyous figure of one who
had triumphed over wind and wave. He went almost sullenly to her while
she waited. No good trying to escape her for a minute or so.

"Hello, old Trouper! You're just in time to help me hunt for something."
She was in the familiar street suit now, a skirt and jacket of some
rough brown goods and a cloth hat that kept close to her small head
above hair that seemed of no known shade whatever, though it was lighter
than dark. She flashed a smile at him from her broad mouth as he came
up, though her knowing gray eyes did not join in this smile. He knew
instantly that she was taking him in.

This girl was wise beyond her years, he thought, but one even far less
knowing could hardly have been in two minds about his present abject
condition. The pushed-up collar of his coat did not entirely hide the
once-white collar beneath it, the beard had reached its perhaps most
distressing stage of development, and the suit was rumpled out of all
the nattiness for which it had been advertised. Even the plush hat had
lost its smart air.

Then he plainly saw that the girl would, for the moment at least, ignore
these phenomena. She laughed again, and this time the eyes laughed, too.
"C'mon over and help me hunt for that bar pin I lost. It must be at this
end, because I know I had it on when I went into the drink. Maybe it's
in the pool, but maybe I lost it after I got out. It's one of Baxter's
that she wore in the scene just ahead of last night, and she'll have to
have it again to-day. Now--" She began to search the ground around the
cold brazier. "It might be along