his hands of
her.

But now he was compelled to soil them again. Keziah had appeared at
his office, without warning, and demanded that he find her a position.
"Demanded" was the proper word. Certainly she had not begged. She seemed
to feel that her demand was right and proper, and his acceding to it the
least he could do.

"What a fine place you've got here, Abner!" she said, inspecting the
office and the store. "I declare it's finer than the one you had when
you first went into business, afore you failed. I wish father could have
lived to see it. He'd have realized that his judgment was good, even
though his investment wasn't."

Captain Hall had invested largely in that first business, the one which
failed. Mr. Stone changed the subject. Later in the day he again sought
his friend, the tailor, and Keziah was installed in the loft of the
latter's Washington Street shop, beside the other women and girls who
sewed and sewed from seven in the morning until six at night. Mr. Stone
had left her there and come away, feeling that an unpleasant matter
was disposed of. He had made some inquiries as to where she intended
staying, even added a half-hearted invitation to dinner that evening at
his home. But she declined.

"No, thank you, Abner," she said, "I'm goin' to find a boardin' place
and I'd just as soon nobody knew where I was stayin', for the present.
And there's one thing I want to ask you: don't tell a soul I am here.
Not a soul. If anyone should come askin' for me, don't give 'em any
satisfaction. I'll tell you why some day, perhaps. I can't now."

This was what troubled Mr. Stone as he sat in his office. Why should
this woman wish to have her whereabouts kept a secret? There was a
reason for this, of course. Was it a respectable reason, or the other
kind? If the latter, his own name might be associated with the scandal.
He wished, for the fiftieth time, that there were no poor relations.

A boy came into the office. "There is some one here to see you, Mr.
Stone," he said.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, sir. Looks like a seafaring man, a sea captain, I should
say--but he won't give his name. Says it's important and nobody but
you'll do."

"Humph! All right. Tell him to wait. I'll be out in a minute."

Sea captains and ship owners were Stone & Barker's best customers. The
senior partner emerged from the office with a smile on his face.

"Ah!" he said, extending his hand. "Glad to see you, Captain--er--"

"