e had known all her life about
her. O course she had to work hard, both in the house and at business.
What would they say of her in the Stores when they found out that she
had run away with a fellow? Say she was a fool, perhaps; and her place
would be filled up by advertisement. Miss Gavan would be glad. She
had always had an edge on her, especially whenever there were people
listening.

"Miss Hill, don't you see these ladies are waiting?"

"Look lively, Miss Hill, please."

She would not cry many tears at leaving the Stores.

But in her new home, in a distant unknown country, it would not be like
that. Then she would be married--she, Eveline. People would treat her
with respect then. She would not be treated as her mother had been. Even
now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger
of her father's violence. She knew it was that that had given her the
palpitations. When they were growing up he had never gone for her like
he used to go for Harry and Ernest, because she was a girl but latterly
he had begun to threaten her and say what he would do to her only for
her dead mother's sake. And no she had nobody to protect her. Ernest was
dead and Harry, who was in the church decorating business, was nearly
always down somewhere in the country. Besides, the invariable squabble
for money on Saturday nights had begun to weary her unspeakably. She
always gave her entire wages--seven shillings--and Harry always sent up
what he could but the trouble was to get any money from her father.
He said she used to squander the money, that she had no head, that
he wasn't going to give her his hard-earned money to throw about the
streets, and much more, for he was usually fairly bad on Saturday night.
In the end he would give her the money and ask her had she any intention
of buying Sunday's dinner. Then she had to rush out as quickly as she
could and do her marketing, holding her black leather purse tightly in
her hand as she elbowed her way through the crowds and returning home
late under her load of provisions. She had hard work to keep the house
together and to see that the two young children who had been left to her
charge went to school regularly and got their meals regularly. It was
hard work--a hard life--but now that she was about to leave it she did
not find it a wholly undesirable life.

She was about to explore another life with Frank. Frank was very kind,
manly, open-hearted. She was to go away wit