s, very silent
and with head a-droop, then, slow and heavily, turned and opened his
door, but paused to speak over his shoulder in a hoarse whisper.

"Geoff--if ever--any man--made my sister go through what Maggie Finlay
went through--I'd--shoot him dead--by God in Heaven, I would!"

CHAPTER X

TELLS HOW MR. RAVENSLEE WENT INTO TRADE

It was a week later, and Mr. Ravenslee leaned from the window of his
room to observe the view, which consisted chiefly of dingy brick walls
and dingier windows, swaying vistas of clothes in various stages of
dampness, clothes that fluttered from many lines stretched across the
court, from window to window, at different altitudes; for to-day it had
been washing day in Mulligan's; also the evening was warm.

So Mr. Ravenslee lounged and smoked and gazed upon the many garments,
viewing them with eyes of reverie. Garments, these, of every size and
hue and shape and for either sex, garments that writhed and contorted
themselves in fantastic dances when gently stirred by a small, cool wind
which, wafting across the river from the green New Jersey shore,
breathed faintly of pine woods.

He was yet in absorbed contemplation of the aerial gambols of these many
garments when to him came Mrs. Trapes, clutching a hot iron.

"Mr. Geoffrey, what'll you eat for supper?" she demanded.

"Mrs. Trapes, what do you suppose I'm worthy of?"

"How about a lovely piece o' liver?"

"Liver!" he repeated, rubbing a square, smooth-shaven chin. "Hum! liver
sounds a trifle clammy, doesn't it? Clammy and cold, Mrs. Trapes!"

"Cold?" said she, staring, "cold--of course not! It would be nice an'
hot, with thick gravy an' a tater or so. An' as for clammy, who ever
heard o' liver as wasn't? Calves' liver, mind! They can't put me off
with sheep's--no, siree! Skudder's young man tried to once--he did so!"

"Foolish, foolhardy young man!" murmured Ravenslee.

"Mr. Geoffrey," sighed Mrs. Trapes, and her elbows were particularly
needle-like, "I jest took that piece o' sheep's liver an' wrapped it
round that young man's face."

"Unhappy young man!" murmured Mr. Ravenslee.

"Y' see, Mr. Geoffrey, though a widder an' therefore lorn, I ain't to be
trod on in the matter of livers, or anything else!"

"I'm sure of it, Mrs. Trapes."

"But if you don't kind of fancy liver, how about sassiges? Sassiges is
tasty an' filling, an' cheap. What d' ye say to sassiges?"

"Sausages," answered Mr. Ravenslee, shaking g