midity withheld him; and having no
customers just then he took down the box which contained her work, under
pretence of arranging it more nicely, but in reality to look upon the
delicate labor of those rosy fingers once again.

Wilkins was watching him, mischievously, from his desk, and Guly looked
up, and caught his eye, with a blush and a smile.

"Tell me, Wilkins, who she is."

"A poor girl, and very pretty."

"And friendless?"

"Only her grandpapa, you heard her say."

"Poor thing, she does this for a living."

"For a living? Yes. And it's a hard one she gets, after all."

"You know all about her! What else? Tell me more."

"She is very good and pure."

"May she always be so. Go on."

Wilkins looked at him searchingly for a moment, but the boy met his
glance steadily, and the head-clerk withdrew his eye with an air of one
who is suddenly made aware of entertaining unjust suspicions; and he
went on, with a smile, getting down from his desk, and standing near to
Guly meanwhile.

"It would not be to every one, Guly, I would give poor Blanche's
history, or what I know of it; but to you I am certain I can do so
safely. To begin then at the beginning: She was the daughter of one of
the wealthiest bankers in this city, who died several yeas ago
insolvent, and left his wife and child destitute. Of course, their
former friends cut them, all except a very few; and they took a suite of
rooms in the Third Municipality, and removed thither with their few
articles of furniture, and their blind and helpless relative. The
mother's health began to fail, and after a little while she was unable
to do anything toward their support; and all the duties of the
household, together with the labor for a livelihood for the three, fell
upon little brown-eyed Blanche. She went to work heroically, and turned
her accomplishments to profit, and is, as you see, one of the very best
_brodeurs_ that can be found. She loved her mother devotedly, and I
suppose it almost broke her little heart when she lost her. She has
sickened and died within the last two months, as you heard her say. She
had all that care upon her young shoulders, beside that of her old
grandfather, yet she has neglected neither, and finished her work with
it all. Think of it! As you perceive she has an innocent little heart,
is a stranger to guile, and is ready to believe every one is what he
professes to be. God help her, poor thing!"

"And is that all you know of