hen, the air of the room
was very close, and that made her head ache badly; and she felt afraid
that nobody would hire her, because she was so little. Her mother had
died only a week before, and Letty had a drunken father,--so, you see,
that, young as she was, she had to earn her own bread and butter.

[Illustration: LETTY.]

By and by, a woman came in. Some people, I suppose, would have called
her a lady, as she had on a silk dress, and a great many shiny chains
and pins. Letty's mother was a lady, although she was poor. She had
sweet, gentle manners, and a soft, low voice. Letty did not like Mrs.
Finley's looks; she wore too many bows and flounces; and then her voice
was loud and harsh, and her forehead had an ugly frown on it, that
didn't go away even when she smiled and tried to look gracious. No,
Letty didn't like her, and she almost hoped she wouldn't take a fancy
to her, much as she needed a place to live in.

But Mrs. Finley liked Letty's looks; so she sailed across the room,
with her six flounces, and asked her so many questions, in such a loud
voice, that Letty was quite bewildered; then she heard her say to Mr.
Silas Skinflint, who kept the office, that she would take her, and that
it was a very nice thing that her mother was dead, for mothers were
always bothering.

"Very nice that her mother was dead!"

Poor, little, desolate Letty couldn't bear _that_. She hid her little
face in her hands, and began to sob pitifully; but Mr. Skinflint tapped
her on the shoulder with his cane, and told her that nobody would hire
a cry-baby; so Letty sat up straight, and choked her tears down, and at
a signal from Mr. Skinflint took up her little bundle and followed Mrs.
Finley.

On she went, past a great many fine shops and fine houses, Letty
keeping close behind her. Letty's head felt quite giddy, and she was
very faint, for her naughty father had gone off, and poor Letty had had
no breakfast that morning.

After turning a great many squares, Mrs. Finley went down a very narrow
street, where a great many noisy, dirty children were playing on the
sidewalks,--where a great many women were leaning (on their red elbows)
out of the windows, and a great many coarse, rough men were sitting on
the steps, smoking pipes, in their shirt sleeves.

At one of these houses Mrs. Finley stopped, and Letty followed her up
the steps, through the entry, and into the parlor. A table stood in the
middle of the floor, covered with dirt