elongings and began, with tears, to put them into a valise her mother
brought her. The little girlish trinkets that she had accumulated from
time to time she did not take. She saw them, but thought of her
younger sisters, and let them stay. Martha and Veronica would have
assisted her, but their father forbade them to go.

At six o'clock Bass came in, and seeing the nervous assembly in the
kitchen, inquired what the trouble was.

Gerhardt looked at him grimly, but did not answer.

"What's the trouble?" insisted Bass. "What are you all sitting
around for?"

"He is driving Jennie away," whispered Mrs. Gerhardt tearfully.

"What for?" asked Bass, opening his eyes in astonishment.

"I shall tell you what for," broke in Gerhardt, still speaking in
German. "Because she's a street-walker, that's what for. She goes and
gets herself ruined by a man thirty years older than she is, a man old
enough to be her father. Let her get out of this. She shall not stay
here another minute."

Bass looked about him, and the children opened their eyes. All felt
clearly that something terrible had happened, even the little ones.
None but Bass understood.

"What do you want to send her out to-night for?" he inquired. "This
is no time to send a girl out on the streets. Can't she stay here
until morning?"

"No," said Gerhardt.

"He oughtn't to do that," put in the mother.

"She goes now," said Gerhardt. "Let that be an end of it."

"Where is she going to go?" insisted Bass.

"I don't know," Mrs. Gerhardt interpolated weakly.

Bass looked around, but did nothing until Mrs. Gerhardt motioned
him toward the front door when her husband was not looking.

"Go in! Go in!" was the import of her gesture.

Bass went in, and then Mrs. Gerhardt dared to leave her work and
follow. The children stayed awhile, but, one by one, even they slipped
away, leaving Gerhardt alone. When he thought that time enough had
elapsed he arose.

In the interval Jennie had been hastily coached by her mother.

Jennie should go to a private boarding-house somewhere, and send
back her address. Bass should not accompany her, but she should wait a
little way up the street, and he would follow. When her father was
away the mother might get to see her, or Jennie could come home. All
else must be postponed until they could meet again.

While the discussion was still going on, Gerhardt came in.

"Is she going?" he asked harshly.

"Yes," answered Mrs. Gerhardt, wi