d gasp as her eyes squarely
encountered two other eyes, which were fixed upon her own in an
insulting leer from beneath the rim of a rakish felt hat which was worn
tilted on the side of a very unprepossessing head. The eyes, bad as
they were, proved the best feature in a thoroughly vicious face, and
for the first time in her life Nan felt frightened--chokingly
frightened. She would have rushed on, but a stealthy hand held her
back.

"Don't try to run away from me, little lady!" said an unsteady voice in
her ear in a tone that was intended to seem engaging. "Don't try to
run away from me, if you please. I wouldn't hurt you for the world,
no, indeed."

Nan shook herself free from the disgusting touch and hurried on without
a word. Her hateful shadow kept abreast with her.

"You ain't afraid of me, are you?" he asked reproachfully.

Nan made no response. Her feet seemed to cling to the pavement. Every
time she lifted one it was with an effort.

"Oh, come now," whined the voice in her ear, "don't go on like this. I
ain't going to hurt you. I'm only a poor man who would be grateful for
a penny or two. By the way, where's your pocket-book?"

Nan leaped suddenly aside, and as she did so she missed her footing,
and a cry of pain burst from her lips. A sharp pang shot from her
ankle to her knee, and when she tried to take another step she found
the darting agony returned. But stop she could not. Her face grew
gray and lined with misery as she dragged forward, saving her injured
ankle as much as she could, but always having to torture it intolerably
with every onward limp. Her persecutor caught up with her promptly,
and she cast beseeching looks for deliverance on every side, which the
hurrying, preoccupied crowd was too intent on its own affairs to see.
If only she could see a policeman! She knew what she would do. She
would make believe she was going past him and then suddenly veer about
and say, "Officer, this man is annoying me!" and before he had time to
realize what she had done the rowdy would be arrested. But no
policeman was in sight, and her fine scheme could not be carried out.
Suddenly in the midst of her agony of mind and body her heart gave a
wild bound of unspeakable relief.

"Miss Blake! Miss Blake!" she almost shrieked.

"Nan!"

The little governess was beside her in a flash, her own face almost as
white and seamed as the girl's.

[Illustration: The little governess was beside her.]