what it's safe enough, and you
needn't be troubled, if they don't come. You can go half an hour later
just as well. My! I've had people sit here all day and wait. The things
I've seen here, well, if they were put into a story you couldn't hardly
believe them. I had a poor woman come in here one morning last week
with a baby in her arms, and three little children hanging round her,
to wait for her husband; and she waited till midnight, and he didn't
come. I could have told her first as well as last that he wasn't ever
coming; I knew it from the kind of a letter he wrote her, and that she
fished up out of her pocket to show me, so as to find whether she had
come to the right place to wait, or not, but I couldn't bear to do it;
and I did for her and the children as well as I could, and when it came
to it, about twelve, I coaxed her to go home, and come again in the
morning. She didn't come back again; I guess she began to suspect
something herself."

"Why, don't you suppose he ever meant to come?" Cornelia asked,
tremulously.

"_I_ don't know," said the janitress. "I didn't tell _her_ so. I've had
all kinds of homeless folks come in here, that had lost their
pocket-books, or never had any, and little tots of children, with
papers pinned on to tell me who they were expecting, and I've had 'em
here on my hands till I had to shut up at night."

"And what did you do then?" Cornelia began to be anxious about her own
fate, in case she should not get away before the janitress had to shut
up.

"Well, some I had to put into the street, them that were used to it;
and then there are homes of all kinds for most of 'em; old ladies'
homes, and young girls' homes, and destitute females' homes, and
children's homes, where they can go for the night, and all I've got to
do is to give an order. It isn't as bad as you'd think, when you first
come to the city; I came here from Connecticut."

Cornelia thought she might respond so far as to say, "I'm from Ohio,"
and the janitress seemed to appreciate the confidence.

She said, "Not on your way to the White House, I suppose? There _are_
so many Presidents from your State. Well, I knew you were not from near
New York, anywhere. I _do_ have so many different sorts of folks coming
in here, and I have to get acquainted with so many of 'em whether or
no. Lots of foreigners, for one thing, and men blundering in, as well
as women. They think it's a ticket-office, and want to buy tickets of
me, a