"You knew better than to bring her here under the circumstances." "Well," said Ah Cum, amiably, "when I argued against the venture, he threatened to go wandering about alone, I was most concerned in bringing him back unhurt." He then spoke authoritatively to the girl.

He appeared to thunder dire happenings if she did not obey him without further ado.

He picked up the broken fiddle and beckoned.

The sing-song girl rose and meekly pattered out of the office into the night.
Ruth crossed over to the dramatist of this tragicomedy and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I understand," she said.

Her faith in human beings revived.