Bravely she looked into the friendly face, a doleful smile quivering on
her lips.

"The first thing I want to know," she asked, "what air ye goin' to do
'bout Andy?"

Professor Young had anticipated this question.

"Until I've had more time to think about it, and until after the funeral
anyway, I'll keep your secret," he reassured her kindly.

"An' ye won't say anythin' to nobody 'bout 'im till ye talk with me
again?" she queried, fearfully.

"That's what I mean, Tess," Young answered.

"Ye air so good to me, ye air," sighed Tess, satisfied.

"Child," began Young a moment later, "can you bear to tell me about it,
now?"

"About Daddy?" asked Tess, "or about the other--"

The lawyer's nod, responsive to the latter half of her question,
reawakened the suffering girl's memory of the horror of the church
meeting.

"It were so awful," she said after a pregnant pause. "I mean--Mr.
Waldstricker--"

"What about it? Tell me," Young interrupted, as the gentle voice
hesitated.

"See ... this!" she murmured, turning her head.

Young's eyes caught the red of the wound on her neck.

"He did that!... How?" he ejaculated fiercely.

"He hit me with a piece of--coal!" answered Tess, sinking back, very
white.

"No, no; God, no!" he cried desperately. "He couldn't have done that!"

"He said I were ... bad," interrupted Tess, very low. She bowed her
head, and the man, stunned, made no move toward her. His muscles seemed
powerless, and he had no volition to comfort her. He could not erase
from his mind that horrid picture her few direct words had brought
before him. "But ... _you_ air trustin' me!" was the way Tess brought
him back to himself.

"Then it's true what--what--"

His tongue grew parched.

"Yep, but trust me, please!" cried Tess.

Trust her! Believe in her with her confession ringing in his ears. God,
if he did not love her, it wouldn't be so hard to believe, to trust, to
help. But with this fierce jealousy stabbing at his heart, he felt he
must know more--all. His mind went back to that time when she had come
to him with a child in a basket, and her plea had been the same, "Oh,
trust me! Please trust me!"

"If you could only ... tell me ... something," he groaned.

"It air true what Mr. Waldstricker hit me fer," bowed Tess, swallowing
hard, "but I can't say nothin' 'bout it, I can't! I ain't able to tell
nothin' more'n that!"

Young still stood several feet from her.

"I must do something to help