always sorry for any one in
trouble, and would have gone far out of his way to help such a person,
had the latter appealed to him. But Martha had not appealed to him; as a
matter of fact, it was evident that she was trying to keep knowledge
of her difficulty from him and every one else. Plainly it was not his
business at all. And yet he was filled with an intense desire, even a
determination, to make it his business. He could not understand why, but
he wasted no time trying to understand. The determination to help was
strong when at last he did fall asleep and it was just as strong when he
awoke the next morning.

CHAPTER IX

He endeavored, while dressing, to map out a plan of campaign, but
the map was but a meaningless whirligig of lines leading nowhere when
Primmie called from the foot of the stairs that breakfast was ready.
During breakfast he was more absent-minded than usual, which is saying a
good deal, and Martha herself was far from communicative. After the
meal he was putting on his hat and coat preparatory to going out for his
usual walk when Primmie came hurrying through the hall.

"She wants you," said Primmie, mysteriously, her eyes shining with
excitement. "She wants to see you in the settin' room. Come on, come on,
Mr. Bangs! What are you waitin' for?"

As a general rule Galusha's thoughts started upon the morning ramble
some little time before he did and recalling them was a rather slow and
patience-taxing process. In this case, however, they were already in the
sitting room with Martha Phipps and so had a shorter road home. But they
came slowly enough, for all that.

"Eh?" queried Galusha, peering out between the earlaps of his cap. "Eh?
What did you say, Primmie?"

"I say Miss Martha wants to see you a minute. She's in there a-waitin'.
I bet you she's goin' to tell you about it. Hurry! hurry!"

"Tell me?... About what?"

"Why, about what 'tis that's worryin' her so. About that Raish Pulcifer
and all the rest of it.... Oh, my Lord of Isrul! Don't you understand
NOW? Oh, Mr. Bangs, won't you PLEASE wake up?"

But Galusha was beginning to understand.

"Dear me! Dear me!" he exclaimed, nervously. "Do you think that--Did she
say she wished to see me, Primmie?"

"Ain't I been tellin' you she did? Now you talk right up to her, Mr.
Bangs. You tell her I don't want no wages. Tell her I'll stay right
along same as ever and--You TELL her, Mr. Bangs."

Martha was standing by the stove in the