He swore at himself for coming, picked up his hat, and turned to go.

But, at that moment, from the corner of the room, came a thin, wailing cry.

Jonah started violently, and then, as he recognized the sound, smiled grimly.
It was the baby, awakened by the light.

He remembered that Mrs Yabsley often left it alone in the house.
But the infant, thoroughly aroused, gave out a querulous note, thin and sustained.

Jonah stooped to blow out the candle, and then, with a sudden curiosity, walked over to the cradle.
It was a box on rough rollers, made out of a packing-case, grimy with dirt from the hands that had rocked it.