rave head, "sausages demand
such unbounded faith in the--er--sausagee--or should it be sausage-or?"

"Oh, well--a chop, cut thick an' with a kidney in it--what d' ye say to
a chop, now?"

"No, a chop in an hour, Mrs. Trapes, or say, two hours, will be most
welcome. Are you very busy?"

"Washing's all done, but there's a lot o' your shirts waiting to be
ironed--an' me here, lettin' me iron get cold!"

"Oh, never mind the shirts, Mrs. Trapes! Pray sit down; I need your
counsel and advice."

"But me iron?"

"Give it to me--there!" and Mr. Ravenslee deposited it outside on the
fire escape.

"Now Mrs. Trapes," said he, "first of all, I must find work. 'Man is
born to labour, as the sparks fly upward,' you know."

"Born to sorrer, you mean!" she corrected.

"Precisely," he nodded, "work is sorrow, and sorrow is work--at least,
I know a good many people who think so."

"More fools them!" quoth Mrs. Trapes, folding her arms.

"My own idea exactly!" he answered, lazily tapping out his pipe on the
window sill.

"I ain't noticed you sweating none, lately!" quoth Mrs. Trapes
sarcastically.

"Alas, no, Mrs. Trapes, there being no wherefore to call forth the
aforesaid--er--moisture. Still, 'man is as grass that withereth' unless
he 'goeth forth unto his labour.'"

"An' quite right too!" nodded Mrs. Trapes. "If I had my way I'd make 'em
all work!"

"That would be rather hard on our legislators and Fifth Avenue parsons,
wouldn't it? Anyway, I want work, that's sure!"

"Y' mean as your money's all gone?"

"Very nearly," sighed Mr. Ravenslee with a suitable air of dejection.
And he did it so well that Mrs. Trapes, viewing him askance, frowned,
bit her lip, wriggled her elbows, and finally spoke.

"Are ye up against it good, Mr. Geoffrey?"

"I am!"

"Well," said she, frowning down at the vivid-coloured hearthrug, "I got
twenty-five dollars put away as I've pinched and scrinched to save, but
if you want the loan of 'em, you can have 'em an' welcome."

Her lodger was silent; indeed, he was so long in answering that at last
Mrs. Trapes looked up, to find him regarding her with a very strange
expression.

"And you will lend me your savings?" he asked her softly.

"Sure I will!" And she would have risen then and there but that he
stayed her.

"God bless you for a generous soul!" said he, and laughed rather
queerly; also his grey eyes were a little brighter than usual. "Why
should you trust me so far?"

"Well