d, "Mis' Farley she's been havin' so
much trouble wid her roomers. Yestuhday dat young lady on de second
flo' front, she lef. She's gwine wid some troupe on the road. She owed
her room for three weeks, and jus' had to leave her trunk. My! how Mis'
Farley did scold her. Mis' Farley let on she could have paid dat money
if she wanted to, but, somehow, Ah guess she couldn't----"

She was carrying the pillows round the table, when suddenly she stopped
talking and stooped to inspect the letter, which was still lying there.
Laura happened to look up. Indignantly, she exclaimed:

"Annie!"

The negress looked confused, but was not otherwise abashed. Going on
with her work, she continued coolly:

"--For if she could, she wouldn't have left her trunk, would she, Miss
Laura?"

"No, I suppose not," replied the actress guardedly. After a pause, she
asked: "What did Mrs. Farley say about me?"

The negress picked up the kimona from the chair and carried it to the
wardrobe. With some hesitation, she said:

"Oh, nothin' much."

She needed encouragement, and Laura gave it to her.

"Well, what?"

Thus coaxed, Annie went on:

"She kinder say somethin' 'bout yo' bein' three weeks behind in yo'
room rent, an' she said she t'ought it was 'bout time yuh handed her
somethin', seem' as how yuh must o' had some stylish friends when yuh
come here."

"Who, for instance?"

"Ah don't know. Mis' Farley said some of 'em might slip yo' enough jest
to help yuh out." Stopping in her work, she looked curiously at the
actress. "Ain't yo' got nobody to take care of yo' at all, Miss Laura?"

Laura shook her head despondently. Sadly, she replied:

"No! No one."

"Dat's too bad."

"Why?"

The negress grinned. Significantly, she said:

"Mis' Farley says yuh wouldn't have no trouble at all gettin' any man
to take care of yuh if yuh wanted to."

Laura averted her head. A chill ran through her. Only too well she knew
what the girl meant. She wished she would stop gossiping and go. With
some display of irritation, she said:

"Don't talk that way, Annie--please."

But the negress was not to be put off so easily. In her coarse, brutal
way, she felt sorry for the pretty young lady, and aware that in some
quarters good looks are negotiable, she felt chagrined that such
valuable assets should not be realized upon. Playing nervously with a
corner of the table-cloth, she continued:

"Dere's a gemman dat calls on one of de ladies from de Circu