ed, watched them from the door.
The girl, limping slightly, walked along with the utmost composure,
but the bearing of her escort betokened a mind fully conscious of the
scrutiny of the street.

He returned in about half an hour, and having this time to run the
gauntlet of the street alone, entered with a mien which caused his
wife's complaints to remain unspoken. The cough of Mr. Brown, a
particularly contagious one, still rang in his ears, and he sat for some
time in fierce silence.

"I see her on the tram," he said, at last. "Her name's Robinson--Miss
Robinson."

"Indeed!" said his wife.

"Seems a nice sort o' girl," said Mr. Jobling, carelessly. "She's took
quite a fancy to you."

"I'm sure I'm much obliged to her," retorted his wife.

"So I--so I asked her to give you a look in now and then," continued
Mr. Jobling, filling his pipe with great care, "and she said she would.
It'll cheer you up a bit."

Mrs. Jobling bit her lip and, although she had never felt more fluent
in her life, said nothing. Her husband lit his pipe, and after a rapid
glance in her direction took up an old newspaper and began to read.

He astonished Mrs. Jobling next day by the gift of a geranium in full
bloom. Surprise impeded her utterance, but she thanked him at last with
some warmth, and after a little deliberation decided to put it in the
bedroom.

[Illustration: He astonished Mrs. Jobling next day 266]

Mr. Jobling looked like a man who has suddenly discovered a flaw in his
calculations. "I was thinking of the front parlor winder," he said, at
last.

"It'll get more sun upstairs," said his wife.

She took the pot in her arms, and disappeared. Her surprise when she
came down again and found Mr. Jobling rearranging the furniture, and
even adding a choice ornament or two from the kitchen, was too elaborate
to escape his notice.

"Been going to do it for some time," he remarked.

Mrs. Jobling left the room and strove with herself in the scullery. She
came back pale of face and with a gleam in her eye which her husband was
too busy to notice.

"It'll never look much till we get a new hearthrug," she said, shaking
her head. "They've got one at Jackson's that would be just the thing;
and they've got a couple of tall pink vases that would brighten up the
fireplace wonderful. They're going for next to nothing, too."

Mr. Jobling's reply took the form of uncouth and disagreeable growlings.
After that phase had passed he sat fo