gain, less faintly than before, and
shook her head.

"I don't think there's much to describe about Granny. She was a
housekeeper at old Mr. Horne's house in the city, you know, and she
looks just as old housekeepers always look. Her name's Mrs. Higgs. But,"
and the girl looked frightened again, "don't tell her you've come to see
_me_. She's very particular. At least--I mean--"

A pretty confusion, a touch of hesitancy, the first sign of anything
girlish which Max had seen in this strange creature, made her stop and
turn her head away. And, the effort of speaking over, she drooped again.

"I won't be long."

And Max, puzzled himself by the feelings he had toward this strange
little white-bodied being, went through the outhouse into the open air.

Outside, he found himself staggering, he didn't know why--whether from
the emotions he had experienced or from the clammy, close hair of the
shut-up room; all he knew was that by the time he reached the
public-house, which he had correctly foreseen was to be found at the
corner, he felt quite as much in want of the brandy as his patient
herself.

It occurred to him, as he stood in the bar, swallowing some fiery liquid
of dubious origin which the landlord had sold to him as brandy, to make
a casual inquiry about Mrs. Higgs.

"Yes," said the landlord, "I do know a Mrs. Higgs. She comes in here
sometimes; she likes her glass. But they know more about her at The
Admiral's Arms, Commercial Road way," and he gave a nod of the head to
indicate the direction of that neighborhood.

"Do you know her address?" asked Max.

The landlord smiled.

"It 'ud take a clever head to keep the addresses of all the chance
customers as comes in here. For the matter of that, very few of 'em have
any addresses in particular; it's one court one week, and t'other the
next."

"But she's a very respectable woman, the Mrs. Higgs I mean," said Max,
tentatively.

"Oh, yes, sir; I've nothin' to say ag'inst her," and the landlord, with
a look which showed that he objected to be "pumped," turned to another
customer.

Max took the brandy he had bought for the girl and hurried back to the
place where he had left her. As he went, an instinct of curiosity,
natural enough, considering his recently acquired knowledge, made him go
down the passage and try to look in through the grim, dusty window of
the shop. But this also was boarded up on the inner side, so that no
view could be obtained of what was wi