the town to look after you, I shall want
something to keep me going."

"All right," said Dudley. "I'm to come back here for you, then?"

And he took up his overcoat. Max began to help him on with it.

"Come in here a moment," said Dudley, in the same dry, abrupt manner as
before; "I want to speak to you."

Max followed him into the ante-room, and Dudley shut the sitting-room
door.

"That girl," said he, with, a frown--"where did you pick her up? At the
wharf?"

"I met her there. She was walking about outside, afraid to go in. The
old woman had left her there alone, with a--a--dead body in the place."

At these words a change came over Dudley's face.

"You had better have left her alone," said he, sharply. "I wonder you
hadn't more sense than to take up with a girl like that."

Max fired up indignantly.

"Like what? There's nothing wrong with the girl--nothing whatever.
Surely her behavior to-night showed you that."

"Her behavior!" said Dudley, mockingly. "Do you mean her behavior to me,
or to you?"

"Both. It was that of a modest, straightforward girl."

"Very straightforward--to me. Very modest to you. But I would not waste
too much time over her virtues if I were you."

"I don't want to waste any," replied Max, shortly. "I don't see how we
can shake her off, since she has offered to go back to the wharf with
us. But I shall only be alone with her for the few minutes you leave us
here. Or, better still, I'll go with you, and wait while you see your
friend."

"What friend?"

"I thought you said you had an appointment with some one, and were going
to put him off."

"Oh, yes. Well, let us go to him now."

And Dudley softly opened the outer door.

Max perceived that what he proposed was to give Carrie the slip. He drew
back a step.

"We can't go without telling her, at least _I_ can't. The girl's
quite right. It would be safer for her to go with us. For it's an awful
place, not fit to trust oneself in."

"And you think it would be the safer for the presence with us of one of
the gang?"

"She is not one of the gang!" cried Max, involuntarily raising his
voice. "I'd stake my life on there being no harm in her!"

The door of the sitting-room was opened behind them, and Carrie came
out.

"I couldn't help hearing what you said," she said, quietly. "But you
needn't quarrel about me. One of you says there's no harm in me; the
other says there is. I dare say you're both right. If you don't want me