he was afraid that he would say
something to give himself away. He supposed he had behaved like an
impetuous fool. He ought never to have posted that letter--ought never
to have opened Ashton's; and yet--if he had not done so.... He looked
down at the girl beside him, and wondered grimly how she would have
felt if he had allowed that callous farewell to reach her.

"It's quite close to where we are now," she told him. "It's rather
more expensive than the last one, but it's well worth the extra money,
and"--she glanced up at him smilingly--"I'm better off to-day than I
was yesterday," she explained. "And when I go back to work again----"

"Are you going back, then?" he asked quickly.

"Of course I am. I must do something, and they will take me back at
Eldred's, I know----"

"Eldred's!" Micky frowned. "That's the petticoat shop, isn't it?"

She laughed.

"Yes; how did you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I've seen the place lots of times. A girl I know buys all her----" He
stopped. "Do you want to go back there?" he asked.

"Not particularly, but it's easier than looking for a fresh place, and
I know they will take me. I'm in the workroom, and it's not really
such a hard life."

Micky did some rapid thinking; it was surprising how easily his brain
had taken to hard work during the last twenty-four hours.

"Why don't you get a job as a companion to a nice old lady or
somebody?" he suggested vaguely.

She laughed again.

"It doesn't sound a bit attractive," she said frankly. "I think you
need an awful lot of patience. It's very kind of you to be interested,
but I think I shall go back to Eldred's, for a time, at least."

Micky did not like the idea at all, but he let the subject drop.

"Are you going back to the Brixton Road?" he asked after a moment.

"Oh no; I paid them before I left this afternoon, so I shall go
straight to the new place."

"I should like to walk there with you, if I may," said Micky.

"Of course you may."

"And when shall I see you again?" he asked. "You're not going to
vanish for days, are you? I've got no end of time to kill, and----"

"But I haven't," she reminded him. "At least, I shan't have when I
start work. But I should like to see you again," she added kindly.

"Thank you," said Micky with faint sarcasm.

He felt vaguely disappointed with the whole afternoon. She was holding
him so decidedly at arm's length. He supposed it was that infernal
fellow Ashton that sto