offee?" she asked, seeming not to have heard.
"I'm too tired to get up and see."

Waymark felt a keen delight in waiting upon her, in judging to a nicety
the true amount of sugar and cream, in drawing the little table just
within her reach.

"Mr. Waymark," she exclaimed, all at once, "if you had had supper with
a friend, and your friend had paid the bill, should you take out your
purse and pay him back at your next meeting?"

"It would depend entirely on circumstances."

"Just so. Then the present circumstances don't permit anything of the
kind, and there's an end of _that_ matter. Light another cigar, will
you?"

"You don't dislike the smoke?"

"If I did, I should say so."

Having removed her outer garments one by one, she rose and took them
into the inner room. On reappearing, she went to the sitting-room door
and turned the key in the lock.

"Could you let me have some more books to read?" she asked.

"I have brought one, thinking you might be ready for it."

It was "Jane Eyre." She glanced over the pages eagerly.

"I don't know how it is," she said, "I have grown so hungry for reading
of late. Till just now I never cared for it. When I was a child and
went to school, I didn't like my lessons. Still I learned a good deal,
for a little girl, and it has stayed by me. And oh, it seems so long
ago! Never mind, perhaps I will tell you all about that some day."

They were together for an hour or so. Waymark, uneasily watching his
companion's every movement, rose as soon as she gave sign of weariness,
and Ida did not seek to detain him.

"I shall think much of you," he said.

"The less the better," was Ida's reply.

For his comfort, yes,--Waymark thought, as he walked homewards. Ida had
already a dangerous hold upon him; she possessed his senses, and set
him on fire with passionate imaginings. Here, as on every hand, his
cursed poverty closed against him the possibilities of happiness. That
she should ever come to love him, seemed very unlikely; the alliance
between them could only be a mere caprice on her part, such as girls of
her kind are very subject to; he might perhaps fill up her intervals of
tedium, but would have no share in her real life. And the thought of
that life fevered him with jealousy. She might say what she liked about
never having known love, but it was of course impossible that she
should not have a preference among her lovers. And to think of the
chances before such a girl, so blesse