de down the street, "girls and girls; and there isn't one that
could sit in the same room with her without looking like two cents! Why,
they aren't in the same class. They aren't on the earth with her,
they're just things fluttering round!"

He stopped and waved his hands at the utter futility of language as a
means of expressing his admiration. "And she's as good----"

"Dick," Mrs. Pickens interrupted, "don't count on her too much."

She was becoming excited now that they were alone together, and wanted
to tell the story that, for the past twenty-four hours, she had been
turning over in her mind, aghast at its sordidness, yet fascinated by
its extraordinary novelty. The words were on her lips that should reveal
Hertha's birth, but her instinct as a story-teller held her back. It was
too wonderful a tale to be spoiled by a hasty recital. Later, this
evening perhaps, she would retail it with proper deliberation. But her
few words had roused Dick's jealousy.

"Why can't I count on her?" he asked sharply. "Has any one been around?"

"No, it isn't that. I've something important to tell----"

"Then I'm going to count on her," interrupting savagely. "I won't stop
counting on her till she's my wife or some other man's--and if that
happens he'd better not come near me! But, shucks, what's the good of
talking! What's she looking so tired about? She mustn't work so hard.
Why don't you stop her?"

"She's been speaking, Dick, of taking a place this summer as nursery
governess. It would give her a chance to go into the country."

"What!" The young man's voice was excited and angry. His good manners
forsook him and he spoke to his landlady as though she were a servant.
"Don't you let her do that, do you hear? She needs a vacation and I
won't have her going away."

"Really," Mrs. Pickens answered with asperity, "you speak as though I
had authority over her. I'm not her mother--far from it!"

"Oh, damn!" and he turned to move away.

His utter ignorance coupled with his rudeness, made his companion,
despite her well-laid plan, cry out, "I've something for you to see; it
was in one of my newspapers. It concerns you and you ought to know. It's
about----"

"Put the old thing in my room," he called back as he walked down the
street.

Watching his fast disappearing figure, Mrs. Pickens decided that was
just what she would do. He should read the tale for himself, and she
would then have the privilege of giving him advice and co