ng-room. "Come, Polly, my child, you and I will
walk together," and he waited on her handsomely out, and down the walk
to the car.

Tom and Joel burst into a loud laugh, in which the others joined, at the
crestfallen faces.

"Well, at least you didn't get her, Clem," said Alexia airily, coming
out of her discomfiture.

"Neither did you," said Clem happily.

"And you are horrid boys to laugh," said Alexia, looking over at the
two. "But then, all boys are horrid."

"Thank you," said Tom, with his best bow.

"Alexia Rhys, aren't you perfectly ashamed to be fighting with that new
boy?" cried Clem.

"Come on, Alexia," said Jasper. "I shall have to walk with you to keep
you in order," and the gay procession hurrying after old Mr. King and
Polly, caught up with them turning out of the big stone gateway.

And then, what a merry walk they had to the car! and that being nearly
full, they had to wait for the next one, which luckily had only three
passengers; and Mr. King and his party clambered on, to ride down
through the poor quarters of the town, to the Corcoran house.

"Oh, misery me!" exclaimed Alexia, looking out at the tumble-down
tenements, and garbage heaps up to the very doors. "Where _are_ we
going?"

"Did you suppose Jim Corcoran lived in a palace?" asked Pickering
lazily.

"Well, I didn't suppose anybody lived like that," said Alexia, wrinkling
up her nose in scorn. "Dear me, look at all those children!"

"Interesting, aren't they?" said Pickering, with a pang for the swarm of
ragged, dirty little creatures, but not showing it in the least on his
impassive face.

"Oh, I don't want to see it," exclaimed Alexia, "and I'm not going to
either," turning her back on it all.

"It goes on just the same," said Pickering.

"Then I am going to look." Alexia whirled around again, and gazed up and
down the ugly thoroughfare, taking it all in.

"Ugh, how can you!" exclaimed Silvia Horne, in disgust. "I think it's
very disagreeable to even know that such people live."

"Perhaps 'twould be better to kill 'em off," said Tom Beresford bluntly.

"Ugh, you dreadful boy!" cried Clem Forsythe.

"Who's fighting now with the new boy?" asked Alexia sweetly, tearing off
her gaze from the street.

"Well, who wouldn't?" retorted Clem, "he's saying such perfectly
terrible things."

Pickering Dodge gave a short laugh. "Beresford, you're in for it now,"
he said.

Tom shrugged his shoulders, and turned his back on them.