Then she came up to the side of the counter, and, leaning over toward him, said, in a half whisper-- "Can I speak a word with you, Mr.Berlaps ?" "I've no time to attend to you now, woman," he answered, gruffly, and the half-frightened creature shrunk away quickly, and again stood far back in the store.
It was full half an hour after this before the shop was cleared, and then the tailor, instead of coming back to where Mrs.Gaston stood, commenced folding up and replacing his goods upon the shelves.
Fearful lest other customers would enter, the seamstress came slowly forward, and again stood near Berlaps.
"What do you want here to-night, woman ?" asked the tailor, without lifting his eyes from the employment in which he was engaged.
"I brought home the other pair of trowsers this morning, but you were not in," Mrs.Gaston replied.
"Well ?" "Michael couldn't pay me, and so I've run up this evening." "You're a very troublesome kind of a person," said Berlaps, looking her rebukingly in the face.

Then taking a dollar and five cents from the drawer, he pushed them toward her on the counter, adding, as he did so, "There, take your money.

One would think you were actually starving." Mrs.Gaston picked up the coin eagerly, and hurried away.

It was more than an hour since she had left home.

Her children were alone, and the night had closed in some time before.