to work. The wife
was doing what she could, and even the children had been sent on the
streets to sell papers, or by other means, to earn what they could. They
also owed a doctor and the above-mentioned grocer. Peter went back to
the landlord and told him the story.

"Yes," he said, "it's a hard case, I know, but, Mr. Stirling, I owe a
mortgage on the place, and the interest falls due in September. I'm out
four months' rent, and really can't afford any more." So Peter took
thirty-two dollars from his "Trustee" fund, and sent it to the
tobacconist. "I have deducted eight dollars for collection," he wrote.
Then he saw his first client, and told him of his landlord's concession.

"How much do I owe you?" inquired the grocer.

"The Podds tell me they owe you sixteen dollars."

"Yes. I shan't get it."

"My fee is twenty-five. Mark off their bill and give me the balance."

The grocer smiled cheerfully. He had charged the Podds roundly for
their credit, taking his chance of pay, and now got it paid in an
equivalent of cash. He gave the nine dollars with alacrity.

Peter took it upstairs and gave it to Mrs. Podds. "If things look up
with you later," he said, "you can pay it back. If not, don't trouble
about it. Ill look in in a couple of weeks to see how things are going."

When this somewhat complicated matter was ended, he wrote about it to
his mother:

"Many such cases would bankrupt me. As it is, my fund is dwindling
faster than I like to see, though every lessening of it means a
lessening of real trouble to some one. I should like to tell Miss
De Voe what good her money has done already, but fear she would
not understand why I told her. It has enabled me to do so much
that otherwise I could not have afforded. There is only one
hundred and seventy-six dollars left. Most of it though, is merely
loaned and perhaps will be repaid. Anyway, I shall have nearly six
hundred dollars for my work as secretary of the Food Commission,
and I shall give half of it to this fund."

CHAPTER XXX.

A "COMEDY."

When the season began again, Miss De Voe seriously undertook her
self-imposed work of introducing Peter. He was twice invited to dinner
and was twice taken with opera parties to sit in her box, besides
receiving a number of less important attentions. Peter accepted
dutifully all that she offered him. Even ordered a new dress-suit of a
tailor recommended by Lispenard. He wa