ring the impress of
sorrow.

"Is Mr. Fairchild in?" she asked.

"No, he isn't."

"I've come in about the month's rent."

"Very well! You can pay it to me. What name?"

"Mrs. Carlin, sir."

"Ha! yes. Your rent is six dollars. Pass it over, and I will give you a
receipt."

"But I came to say that I had only three dollars and a half toward it."

"And why have you only three dollars and a half, I'd like to know?"
said Mullins, rudely.

"Because my Jimmy has been sick three days. He's a telegraph boy, and
I'm a widow, wid only me bye to help me."

"I have nothing to do with the sickness of your son. When you hired
your rooms, you agreed to pay the rent, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir; but----"

"And you didn't say anything about Jimmy being sick or well."

"True for you, sir; but----"

"I think, Mrs. Carlin, you'll have to get hold of the other two dollars
and a half some how, or out you'll go. See?"

"Shure, sir, you are very hard with a poor widow," said Mrs. Carlin,
wiping her eyes with the corner of her apron.

"Business is business, Mrs. Carlin."

"If Mr. Fairchild were in, he'd trate me better than you. Will he be in
soon?"

"Perhaps he will, and perhaps he won't. You can pay the money to me."

"I won't, sir, beggin' your pardon. I'd rather wait and see him."

"Very well! you can take the consequences," and Mr. Mullins eyed the
widow with an unpleasant and threatening glance.

She looked very sad, and Chester felt that he should like to give the
bookkeeper a good shaking. He could not help despising a man who
appeared to enjoy distressing an unfortunate woman whose only crime was
poverty.

At this moment the office door opened, and a gentleman of perhaps forty
entered. He was a man with a kindly face, and looked far less important
than the bookkeeper. Mr. Mullins, on seeing him, laid aside his
unpleasant manner, and said, in a matter-of-fact tone:

"This is Mrs. Carlin. She owes six dollars rent, and only brings three
dollars and a half."

"How is this, Mrs. Carlin?" inquired Mr. Fairchild, for this was he.

Mrs. Carlin repeated her story of Jimmy's illness and her consequent
inability to pay the whole rent.

"When do you think Jimmy will get well?" asked the agent, kindly.

"He's gettin' better fast, sir. I think he'll be able to go to work by
Wednesday. If you'll only wait a little while, sir----"

"How long have you been paying rent here?" asked Mr. Fairchild.

"This is the third year