been misinformed. They must have told you some
one else was he---"

The girl was silent, but Peter's eyes held hers, and the look she gave
him told that she was not convinced. "You don't believe me?" he asked.

"I believe you don't know. He does come. It's always been toward the
closing hour when I've seen him. The first time he was pointed out to
me was by a floorwalker on Christmas Eve. I was in the toy department
then. He was with Mr. Croft. How strange you didn't know!"

"If it was father--perhaps I can guess why he didn't want us to find
out. But even now I--well, I shall go home and ask him if he realizes
what is happening here. Somehow I shall help your friends, Miss
Child."

"I haven't told you about them yet," Win said. "It was really one
friend who was in my mind. There may be ever so many others just as
sad as she. But I love her. I can't bear to have her die just because
she's poor and unimportant--except to God. Dr. Marlow thinks she's
curable. Only--the things she needs she can't afford to get, and I
haven't any money left to buy them for her; just my salary, and no
more. There's one thing I can do, though! I'll learn to be a wolf,
like some of the others, and snatch commissions."

"Don't do that!" Peter smiled at her sadly. "I shouldn't like to think
of you turning into a wolf. Your friend is sick---"

"She was told by the doctor yesterday that it was a case of
consumption. I had a letter from her this morning--bidding me
good-bye. You see, she was discharged on the spot, with only a week's
wages."

"Beastly!" exclaimed Peter. "There ought to be some kind of a
convalescent home in connection with this store--or two, rather, one
for contagious sort of things and the other not. I---"

"She wrote in her letter that she'd heard of a place where
consumptives were taken in and treated free," Win went on when he
paused. "But she wouldn't tell me where it was. And Dr. Marlow says
there is nothing of the sort---"

"Oh, he can't have read the newspapers these last few days. It's been
open a week."

"Then _you_ know about it?"

"Yes. You see--it's a sort of--friend of mine who's started the
scheme. The house is not very big yet. But he'll enlarge it if it
makes a success."

"Quite free?"

"Yes. Anybody can come and be examined by the doctor. No case will be
refused while there's room. I--my friend lost his dearest friend years
ago--a boy of his own age then--from consumption. It almost broke his
h