mping."

She saw that his view was hopelessly narrow--that, while he regarded
himself justly as an extraordinary man, he also, for purposes of
prejudice and selfishness, regarded his own achievements in overcoming
what would have been hopeless handicaps to any but a giant in character
and in physical endurance as an instance of what any one could do if he
would but work. She never argued with him when she wished to carry her
point. She now said:

"It seems to me that, in our own interest, we ought to do what we can
to make the poor live better. As you say, it's positively dangerous to
go about in the tenement part of town--and those people are always
coming among us. For instance, our servants have relatives living in
Cooper Street, where there's a pest of consumption."

Old Hastings nodded. "That's part of Davy Hull's reform programme,"
said he. "And I'm in favor of it. The city government ought to make
them people clean up."

"Victor Dorn wants that done, too--doesn't he?" said Jane.

"No," replied the old man sourly. "He says it's no use to clean up the
slums unless you raise wages--and that then the slum people'd clean
themselves up. The idea of giving those worthless trash more money to
spend for beer and whisky and finery for their fool daughters. Why,
they don't earn what we give 'em now."

Jane couldn't resist the temptation to say, "I guess the laziest of
them earn more than Davy Hull or I."

"Because some gets more than they earn ain't a reason why others
should." He grinned. "Maybe you and Davy ought to have less, but
Victor Dorn and his riff-raff oughtn't to be pampered.... Do you want
me to cut your allowance down?"

She was ready for him. "If you can get as satisfactory a housekeeper
for less, you're a fool to overpay the one you have."

The old man was delighted. "I've been cheating you," said he. "I'll
double your pay."

"You're doing it just in time to stop a strike," laughed the girl.

After a not unknown fashion she was most obedient to her father when
his commands happened to coincide with her own inclinations.

Her ardor for an excursion into the slums and the tenements died almost
with Victor Dorn's departure. Her father's reasons for forbidding her
to go did not impress her as convincing, but she felt that she owed it
to him to respect his wishes. Anyhow, what could she find out that she
did not know already? Yes, Dorn and her father were right in the
conclusion eac