to have a drink with me. Three whiskey punches,
Joe."

"No, no," answered McTeague, shaking his head. "I'm going back home.
I've had two glasses of whiskey already."

"Sha!" cried Heise, catching his arm. "A strapping big chap like you
ain't afraid of a little whiskey."

"Well, I--I--I got to go right afterwards," protested McTeague.

About half an hour after the dentist had left to go down town, Maria
Macapa had come in to see Trina. Occasionally Maria dropped in on Trina
in this fashion and spent an hour or so chatting with her while she
worked. At first Trina had been inclined to resent these intrusions of
the Mexican woman, but of late she had begun to tolerate them. Her day
was long and cheerless at the best, and there was no one to talk to.
Trina even fancied that old Miss Baker had come to be less cordial since
their misfortune. Maria retailed to her all the gossip of the flat and
the neighborhood, and, which was much more interesting, told her of her
troubles with Zerkow.

Trina said to herself that Maria was common and vulgar, but one had
to have some diversion, and Trina could talk and listen without
interrupting her work. On this particular occasion Maria was much
excited over Zerkow's demeanor of late.

"He's gettun worse an' worse," she informed Trina as she sat on the edge
of the bed, her chin in her hand. "He says he knows I got the dishes and
am hidun them from him. The other day I thought he'd gone off with his
wagon, and I was doin' a bit of ir'ning, an' by an' by all of a sudden I
saw him peeping at me through the crack of the door. I never let on
that I saw him, and, honest, he stayed there over two hours, watchun
everything I did. I could just feel his eyes on the back of my neck all
the time. Last Sunday he took down part of the wall, 'cause he said
he'd seen me making figures on it. Well, I was, but it was just the wash
list. All the time he says he'll kill me if I don't tell."

"Why, what do you stay with him for?" exclaimed Trina. "I'd be deathly
'fraid of a man like that; and he did take a knife to you once."

"Hoh! HE won't kill me, never fear. If he'd kill me he'd never know
where the dishes were; that's what HE thinks."

"But I can't understand, Maria; you told him about those gold dishes
yourself."

"Never, never! I never saw such a lot of crazy folks as you are."

"But you say he hits you sometimes."

"Ah!" said Maria, tossing her head scornfully, "I ain't afraid of him.
He