ved by herself somewhere in the Strand.' So it's just as I told you."

"But what is she doing now?"

"You say she's turned modest."

"I can't make her out quite," said Harriet, reflecting, with her head
on one side. "I've been at her lodgings tonight, and, whilst she was
out of the room, I happened to get sight of a lot of pawn-tickets, for
gold chains and sealskins, and I don't know what."

"Spouted 'em all when she threw up the job, I s'pose," suggested Mrs.
Sprowl. "You're sure she does go to work?"

"Yes, I've had somebody to follow her and watch her. There's Waymark
goes to see her often, and I shouldn't wonder if she half keeps him;
he's just that kind of fellow."

"You haven't caught no one else going there?" asked Mrs. Sprowl, with
another of her intense winks.

"No, I haven't, not yet," replied Harriet, with sudden vehemence, "but
I believe he does go there, or else sees her somewhere else."

"Well," said the landlady, with an air of generous wisdom, "I told you
from the first as I 'adn't much opinion of men as is so anxious to have
their wives friendly with other women. There's always something at the
bottom of it, you may bet. It's my belief he's one too many for you,
Harriet; you're too simple-minded to catch him."

"I'll have a good try, though," cried the girl, deadly pale with
passion. "Perhaps I'm not so simple as you think. I'm pretty quick in
tumbling to things--no fear. If they think I don't notice what goes on,
they must take me for a damned silly fool, that's all! Why, I've seen
them wink at each other, when they thought I wasn't looking."

"You're not such a fool as to leave them alone together?" said the
woman, who seemed to have a pleasure in working upon Harriet's jealousy.

"No fear! But they understand each other; I can see that well enough.
And he writes to her; I'm dead sure he writes to her. Let me get hold
of a letter just once, that's all!"

"And he's orful good-natured to her, ain't he? Looks after her when she
has tea with you, and so on?"

"I should think he did. It's all--'Won't Miss Starr have this?' and
'Won't Miss Starr have that?' He scarcely takes his eyes off of her,
all the time."

"I know, I know; it's allus the same! You keep your eyes open, Harriet,
and you'll 'ave your reward, as the Scriptures says."

When she reached home, Julian was in the uneasy condition always
brought about by these late absences. To a remark he made about the
time, she vouchsafed no