ose tenement children! You can get money enough for them,
but you won't raise a hand to help with mine!" And as plainly Deborah
answered, "My children are starving, shivering, freezing! What do yours
know about being poor?" Two mothers, each with a family, and each one
baffled, brought to bay. There was something so insatiable in each angry
mother's eyes.

"I think you'd better leave this to me," said Roger very huskily. And both
his daughters turned with a start, as though in their bitter absorption
they had forgotten his presence there. Both flushed, and now the glances of
all three in that room avoided each other. For they felt how sordid it had
been. Deborah turned to her sister.

"I'm sorry, Edith," she said again, and this time there were tears in her
eyes.

"So am I," said Edith unsteadily, and in a moment she left the room.
Deborah stood watching her father.

"I'm ashamed of myself," she said. "Well? Shall we talk it over?"

"No," he replied. "I can manage it somehow, Deborah, and I prefer that you
leave it to me."

Roger went into his study and sank grimly into his chair. Yes, it had been
pretty bad; it had been ugly, ominous. He took paper and pencil and set to
work. How he had come to hate this job of wrestling with figures. Of the
five thousand dollars borrowed in August he had barely a thousand left. The
first semi-annual interest was due next week and must be paid. The balance
would carry them through March and on well into April. By that time he
hoped to be making money, for business was better every week. But what of
this nine hundred dollars in debts? Half at least must be paid at once.
Lower and lower he sank in his chair. But a few moments later, his blunt
heavy visage cleared, and with a little sigh of relief he put away his
papers, turned out the lights and went upstairs. The dark house felt
friendly and comforting now.

In his room he opened the safe in the corner where his collection of
curious rings had lain unnoticed for many months. He drew out a tray, sat
down by the light and began to look them over. At first only small
inanimate objects, gradually as from tray after tray they glittered duskily
up at him, they began to yield their riches as they had so often done
before. Spanish, French, Italian, Bohemian, Hungarian, Russian and Arabian,
rings small and rings enormous, religious rings and magic rings, poison
rings, some black with age for all his careful polishing--again they
stole de