te she opened her yap to
me."

"Forget it, dear," she broke in briskly. "I want you to take me to see
your workshop tomorrow--will you?"

A flash of suspicion shot from the depths of his eyes.

"Did she tell you to ask me that?"

"Of course not! I'm just interested in everything you do. I want to see
where you work."

"It's no place for a sweet girl to go--that part of town."

"But I'll be with you."

"I don't want you to go down there," he sullenly maintained.

"But why, dear?"

"It's a low, dirty place. I had to locate the shop there to get the room
I needed for the rent I could pay. It's not fit for you. I'm going to
move uptown in a little while."

"Please let me go," she pleaded.

He shook his head emphatically.

"No."

She turned away to hide the tears. The first real, hideous fear she had
ever had about him caught her heart in spite of every effort to fight it
down. His workshop might be a myth after all. He had failed in the first
test to which she had put him. It was horrible. All the vile suggestions
of Jane Anderson rushed now into her memory.

She struggled bravely to keep her head and not break down. It was beyond
her strength. A sob strangled her, and she buried her face in her hands.

Jim looked at her in helpless anguish for a moment, started to gather
her in his arms and looked around the room in terror.

He leaned over her and whispered tensely:

"For God's sake, Kiddo--don't--don't do that! I didn't mean to hurt
you--honest, I didn't. Don't cry any more and I'll take you right down
to the black hole, and let you sleep on the floor if you want to. Gee!
I'll give you the whole place, tools, junk and all----"

She lifted her head.

"Will you, Jim?"

"Sure I will! We start this minute if you want to go."

She glanced over his shoulder to see that no one was looking, threw her
arms around his neck and kissed him again and again.

"It was the first time you ever said no, dear, and it hurt. I'm happy
again now. If you'll just let me see you in the shop for five minutes
I'll never ask you again."

"All right--tomorrow when you get out of school. I'll take you down.
Holy Mike, that was a dandy kiss! Let's quarrel again--start something
else."

She rose laughing and brushed the last trace of tears from her eyes.

"Let's eat dinner now--I'm hungry."

"By George, I'd forgot all about the feed!"

By eight o'clock the storm had abated; the rain suddenly stopped, and
the moon pee