th that wretched
furniture?'

Amy gave a great sigh, and said, 'Yes. Oh if only she had consulted us!
But it was only--thanks to Mrs. Morrison, who got the truth out of
her--that she told me to-night; though, I am afraid, it is too late for
us to do anything to help her.'

'I suppose the man is worrying her for the payments? Has she let them
fall into arrears?' inquired Stella, to help her friend, who seemed to
find a difficulty in continuing.

'It's worse than that; it's a dreadful business, and not a nice story;
but it is that friend of hers who is at the bottom of it. The furniture
has been bought in a false name, and Eva represented herself as over
twenty-one, and signed a paper making herself liable for the whole
amount if the payments fell into arrears, and of course they have, and
it appears the man came down and interviewed Mrs. Morrison, and would
have made himself very unpleasant if she had not overawed him. Of course
she denied there being any one here of the name Eva gave.'

Stella was, as Amy had expected, very much shocked at this tale, but all
she said was, 'I cannot understand the man's believing that Eva was
twenty-one; she does not look more than eighteen at the most.'

'That was just what we said, Mrs. Morrison and I; but--and this is the
worst part of it--she took the name of her friend and used her birth
certificate, which this girl happened to have for some examination, and
the girl actually went with Eva and identified her as being the person
in the certificate.'

'Disgraceful!' burst out involuntarily from Stella.

'It is disgraceful, and now the man threatens her with exposure if she
does not pay down the whole amount.'

'How much is it?' inquired Stella.

'Thirty-five pounds,' said Amy.

'That seems to me a good deal, even for that suite,' observed Stella.

'So it is; but he said it was credit price.'

'And how much has she paid?' asked Stella.

'Only five pounds, and she had to sell her watch and a gold bracelet and
a silk dress to pay that, she says. She never could save out of her
weekly salary,' explained Amy.

Stella remembered poor Eva's motto made out of their four names, and
thought how very inappropriate a one it had proved in her case. 'Poor
Eva!' she exclaimed.

'Yes, indeed it is "poor Eva!" and I don't see how we are to help her;
we cannot give her the thirty pounds, and the man demands it within
eight days.'

'I don't believe he can; besides, if she has not go