as it's the sort of coin that has no value unless given
voluntarily, we will consider the debt settled without it."

He made a pretense of leaving her at this point, without the slightest
intention of persisting in it. This curious conference had all the zest
of a most novel kind of flirtation, which was none the less piquant for
the girl's haughty airs.

There are feminine eyes which allure as much while they seem to repel as
they do when they consciously attract; and the light-blue ones which
shone in the white face of this East End enchantress were of the number.

Max opened the door and slowly stepped into the outhouse. At the moment
of glancing back--an inevitable thing--he saw that she looked sorry,
dismayed. He took his gloves out of his pocket and began to draw them
on, to fill up the time. By the time the second finger of the first
glove was in its place, for he was deliberate, the girl had come into
the outhouse, passed him, and was drawing water from the tap into her
kettle. He watched her. She knew it, but pretended not to notice. The
circumstance of the water flowing freely in the house which was supposed
to be deserted made an excuse for another remark, and a safe one.

"I thought they cut the water off from empty houses; that is, houses
supposed to be empty."

She turned round with so much alacrity as to suggest that she was glad
of the pretext for reopening communications. And this time there was a
bright look of arch amusement on her face instead of her former
expression of outraged dignity.

"So they do. But--the people who know how to live without paying rent
know a few other things, too."

Max laughed a little, but he was rather shocked. This pretty and in some
respects fastidiously correct young person ought not surely to find
amusement in defrauding even a water company.

The fact reminded him of that which the intoxication caused by a pretty
face had made him forget--that he was in a house of dubious character,
from which he would be wise in escaping without further delay. But then,
again, it was the very oddness of the contrast between the character of
the house and the behavior of the girl which made the piquancy of the
situation.

"Oh, yes; of course; I'd forgotten that," assented Max, limply.

And then he fell into silence, and the girl stood quietly by the tap,
which ran slowly, till the kettle was full.

And then it began to run over.

Now this incident was a provocation. Max w