e's life threadbare. To the young, buoyed up by confidence in the rosy
future, this may seem sordid, but this feeling of insecurity mars many
lives which might otherwise be happy.

"You see, Allis," her mother continued, "I know you are heart-whole, so
I can't cause you any misery by my well-meant advice. You've been a good
girl, and there has been nobody of your class about. Mr. Mortimer is,
I dare say, a gentleman, and I must confess I was afraid that you might
mistake a feeling of generosity to him for something stronger; but that
was only an idle fancy, I see. It would have been unfortunate if it
were otherwise, for he is very poor indeed. His small salary must be all
taken up in keeping himself, his widowed mother, and a younger sister."

Allis gave a sudden start. She had not known these particulars of
Mortimer's life; but they carried certain explanations of his conduct.
Quite casually she had formed an impression that he was penurious;
something he had dropped about not being able to afford certain
pleasures. That was where the money went--to support his mother and
sister. Unwittingly her mother was pleading the cause of two men.

The mother's talk depressed Allis greatly. Why should this troublesome
matter come to her when she had so much to bear, so much to do. It gave
her quite a shock to find that as her mother talked she was not
thinking of Crane at all. She could not picture his face, even; just the
narrow-lidded eyes peeped at her in her thoughts once or twice; it would
be horrible to look into them forever and ever. The face of Mortimer,
pale and firm-set as it had been in that day of strife, was always
obliterating the other visage. Was her mother right? Was she so
heart-whole? As if her thoughts had bearing on her mother's mind, the
latter said: "I wouldn't have spoken to you of this matter while your
father is so ill if it weren't for the fact that our position is
very precarious. I can't understand just how badly off we are, but if
anything were to happen your father, I hardly know what would become of
us."

"And Mr. Crane has promised to help us if--if--" There was a hard ring
in the girl's voice as she spoke, getting not past the "if," refusing to
put into words the distressing thought.

"There is no 'if' about it, daughter. Mr. Crane is our friend, your
father's friend, and he is going to help us; and he only spoke of
his regard for you by way of an excuse--it was delicacy on his part,
thinki