r," said Ellen.

"I guess I won't undress to-night, but I'll lay on the lounge," said
Andrew.

"Well, you speak to me if mother wakes up and takes on again. Maybe
I can do something."

"All right, dear child," said Andrew, lovingly and wearily. He had a
look as if some mighty wind had passed over him and he were beaten
down under it, except for that one single uprearing of love which no
tempest could fairly down.

Ellen went up-stairs, and lay down beside poor little Amabel without
undressing herself. The child stirred, but not to awake, when she
settled down beside her, and reached over her poor little claw of a
hand to the girl, who clasped it fervently, and slipped a protecting
arm under the tiny shoulders. Then the little thing nestled close to
Ellen, with a movement of desperate seeking for protection. "There,
there, darling, Ellen will take care of you," whispered Ellen. But
Amabel did not hear.

Chapter XXXIII

The next afternoon poor Eva Tenny was carried away, and Andrew
accompanied the doctor who had her in charge, as being the only
available male relative. As he dressed himself in his Sunday suit,
he was aware--to such pitiful passes had financial straits brought
him--of a certain self-congratulation, that he would not be at home
when the dressmaker asked for money that night, and that no one
would expect him to go to the bank under such circumstances. But
Andrew, in his petty consideration as to personal benefit from such
dire calamity, reckoned without another narrow traveller. Miss
Higgins stopped him as he was going out of the door, looking as if
bound to a funeral in his shabby Sunday black, with his solemn, sad
face under his well-brushed hat.

"I hate to say anything when you're in such trouble, Mr. Brewster,"
said she, "but I do need the money to pay a bill, and I was
wondering if you could leave what was due me yesterday, and what
will be due me to-day."

But Fanny came with a rush to Andrew's relief. She was in that state
of nervous tension that she was fairly dangerous if irritated. "Look
here, Miss Higgins," said she. "We hesitated a good deal about
havin' you come here to-day, anyway. Ellen wanted to send you word
not to. We are in such awful trouble, that she said it didn't seem
right for her to be thinkin' about new clothes, but I told her she'd
got to have the things if she was going to college, and so we
decided to have you come, but we 'ain't had any time nor any heart
t