bout the faucets of the tubs. The escape pipe of
the sink was clogged, and he had to run his finger into it again and
again to get it free. The kitchen was very dirty; old bottles of sweet
oil, mouldy vinegar and flat beer cluttered the dusty shelves of the
pantry.

Meanwhile Geary continued his rounds. He went about among the groups of
his tenants, very pleased and contented, smiling affably upon them. He
enlarged himself, giving himself the airs of an English lord in the
midst of his tenantry, listening to their complaints with a
good-humoured smile of toleration. A few men were about, some of whom
were out of work for the moment; others who were sick. To these Geary
was particularly condescending. He sat in their parlours, little,
crowded rooms, smelling of stale upholstery and of the last meal, where
knitted worsted tidies, very gaudy, covered the backs of the larger
chairs and where one inevitably discovered the whatnot standing in one
corner, its shelves filled with shell-boxes, broken thermometers and
little alabaster jars, shaped like funeral urns, where one kept the
matches. The wife brought the children in, very dirty, looking solemnly
at Geary, their eyes enlarged in the direct unwinking gaze of cows.

By this time Vandover had finished with the sinks and tubs and was down
upon his hands and knees scrubbing the stains of grease upon the floor
of the kitchen. It was very hard work, as his water was cold. He was
still working about this spot when Geary returned. By this time Vandover
was so tired that he trembled all over, his spine seemed to be breaking
in two, and every now and then he paused and passed his hand over the
small of his back, closing his eyes and drawing a long breath.

"Well, how are you getting on?" asked Geary, as he came into the
kitchen, drawing on his gloves, about ready to go home.

"Oh, I'm getting along," replied Vandover, rising up to his knees.

"You want to hurry up," answered Geary. "You must be done with this
house by this evening. You see, I want to advertise it in to-morrow's
papers."

"All right; I'll have it done."

"Pretty dirty, wasn't it?"

"Yes, pretty dirty."

"You may have to work here a little later than usual this afternoon, but
be sure you have everything cleaned up before you leave," Geary said.

"All right," answered Vandover, bending to his work again.

Just as Geary was leaving he had the admirable good fortune to meet on
the steps of the cottage a lit