d of Monitors
to set Room 18 to rights with no more direct supervision than an
occasional look and word from the stout Miss Blake, whose kingdom lay
just across the hall. And as she hurried through the early cold of a
November afternoon, her forebodings grew so lugubrious that she was
almost relieved at last to learn that Mrs. Mowgelewsky's complaint was a
slow-forming cataract, and her supplication, that Miss Bailey would keep
a watchful eye upon Morris while his mother was at the hospital
undergoing treatment and operation.

"But of course," Miss Bailey agreed, "I shall be delighted to do what I
can, Mrs. Mowgelewsky, though it seems to me that one of the
neighbors----"

"Neighbors!" snorted the matron; "what you think the neighbors make mit
mine little boy? They got four, five dozens childrens theirselves. They
ain't got no time for look on Morris. They come maybe in mine house und
break mine dishes, und rubber on what is here, und set by mine furniture
und talks. What do they know over takin' care on mine house? They ain't
ladies. They is educated only on the front. Me, I was raised private and
expensive in Russia. I was ladies. Und you ist ladies. You ist
Krisht--that is too bad--but that makes mit me nothings. I wants _you_
shall look on Morris."

"But I can't come here and take care of him," Miss Bailey pointed out.
"You see that yourself, don't you, Mrs. Mowgelewsky? I am sorry as I can
be about your eyes, and I hope with all my heart that the operation will
be successful. But I shouldn't have time to come here and take care of
things."

"That ain't how mine mamma means," Morris explained. He was leaning
against Teacher and stroking her muff as he spoke. "Mine mamma means the
money."

"That ist what I means," said Mrs. Mowgelewsky, nodding her ponderous
head until her quite incredible wig slipped back and forth up on it.
"Morris needs he shall have money. He could to fix the house so good
like I can. He don't needs no neighbors rubberin'. He could to buy what
he needs on the store. But ten cents a day he needs. His papa works by
Harlem. He is got fine jobs, und he gets fine moneys, but he couldn't to
come down here for take care of Morris. Und the doctor he says I shall
go _now_ on the hospital. Und any way," she added sadly, "I ain't no
good; I couldn't to see things. He says I shall lay in the hospital
three weeks, maybe--that is twenty-one days--und for Morris it is two
dollars und ten cents. I got the