in 'is way. 'Live and
let live,' 'as always been my motter, and a very good one too."

She said all this very slowly, with a good many significant pauses.
Maggie, however, felt nothing but happiness at the prospect of getting
her way. She had gone far beyond all personal sensations of shame or
fear or hesitation.

"Would you show me the room, please?" she asked.

They pushed past the servant-girl, whose eyes followed them up the
stairs with hungry curiosity.

They climbed to the top of the house. Mrs. Brandon displayed a dark
sulky little room with damp of the tomb clinging to its wall.

"Ten bob a week," she said. She sunk her voice to a confidential
whisper. "The best of this 'ouse is that you can do what you like. No
one minds and no one sees. 'Them as lives in glass 'ouses.' That's what
I say."

"I'll take it," said Maggie.

"You'll be wanting a key, my dear," said Mrs. Brandon, suddenly very
friendly. "To let yerself in an' out at nights. I'll fetch yer one."

She did. Maggie thanked her.

"I wonder," she said, "whether you have such a thing as a small basket
you could lend me. I'm going out to buy one or two necessaries."

"Certingly," said Mrs. Brandon, all smiles. "Certingly, and anythink
else you'll be needing. All you've got to do is ter ask."

This settled, Maggie departed on her shopping expedition. She was still
driven by a curious clarity and decision as to what she wanted to do.
She felt as though she could conquer the world to-day and then parcel
it out equitably and with success amongst the greedy kings of the
earth. What were kings to her now that she had found Martin? Less than
the dust ...

Lynton Street offered her nothing but dirty and grime-stained windows,
but she found her way into King Edward Street, and here there were many
shops. She had not very much money actually upon her, and the remainder
of her precious three hundred was locked up in a bank in Skeaton, but
it was a bank that had, she knew, branches in London. She looked in her
purse and found that she had three pounds, twelve shillings and
sixpence. Martin must have his meals upon something other than paper,
so the probability was that there was crockery of a kind in his
room--or perhaps Mrs. Brandon supplied it. Nevertheless Maggie's first
purchases were a blue teapot, two blue plates, and two blue cups and
saucers.

As to food she must get something that could be cooked easily on his
fire. She bought three of the fres