o privation and knew how to bear it
without much hope of anything better. His clothes were soiled and
ragged, but his face was clean. Water was cheap, and he was
unfashionably neat for the quarter in which he lived.

The stew was brought, and an extra plate of bread and butter.

"Now go ahead," said Paul. "Eat all you want."

Julius needed no other invitation. He proceeded vigorously to
accomplish the work before him, and soon both bread and oysters were
disposed of.

"Have you got enough?" asked Paul, smiling.

"Yes," said Julius; "I'm full."

Have you ever seen the satisfied look of an alderman as he rose from a
sumptuous civic banquet? The same expression was visible on the face
of the young Arab as he leaned back in his chair, with his hands
thrust into his pockets.

"Then," said Paul, "we may as well be going."

The boy seized his ragged cap and followed his benefactor from the
eating-house. When they reached the sidewalk, he turned to Paul and
said:

"That was a bully dinner."

Paul understood that he intended to thank him, though his gratitude
was not directly expressed.

"I'm glad you liked it," said he; "but I must be going now."

Julius looked after him until he turned the corner. "He's been good to
me," he said to himself; "maybe I can do something for him some day."

The young Arab had had few occasions for gratitude. The world had been
a hard stepmother to him. It was years since he had known father or
mother, and as long as he could remember he had been under the
guardianship of a social outlaw, named Jack Morgan, who preyed upon
the community whenever he got a chance. Whenever he was under the ban
of the law, Julius had shifted for himself, or been transferred to one
of his lawless companions. The chances seemed to be in favor of Julius
growing up such another as his guardian. Had he been differently
constituted he would have been worse than he was. But his natural
instincts were healthful, and when he had been left entirely to
himself he had lived by honest industry, devoting himself to some of
the street occupations which were alone open to him. His most perilous
period was when Jack resumed his guardianship, as he had done a
fortnight previous, on being released from a three months' residence
at Blackwell's Island.

What the tie was between him and the boy was unknown. Julius knew that
Jack was not his father, for the latter had never made that claim.
Sometimes he vaguely intimated t