re some
flowers on the window-sills."

"Good! Let's try it--ask the rates, anyway."

They crossed the street and went to the house in question. Here,
however, they were puzzled, for there were two entrances, one on the
brownstone stoop and the other beneath it. They decided on the lower, it
being more accessible. There was a bell-pull and John, who had once put
one into a wall, understood what it was for and used it promptly.

A white woman, who looked like she was Irish, opened the door.

"I see you have rooms and board," John ventured. "We want to see about
them."

The woman smiled agreeably. "The madam is up-stairs. You can go up the
steps and I'll let you in at the upper door, or you can come through
here."

"This way is all right," John said. And the woman led them into a little
hallway adjoining a long dining-room, the white-clothed tables of which
could be seen through the open door. On the same floor, just beyond, was
the kitchen. They knew this, for they caught a glimpse of a big range
above which hung a row of polished pots and pans.

The stairway to the upper floor was quite narrow, and John had some
difficulty in ascending it with his valises and the mute Dora, who was
nervously attempting to hold his arm. However, the ascent was made, and
they were shown into a big parlor with windows looking out on the
street. The floor was covered by a well-worn but clean carpet, the walls
held pictures of various sorts--crayon portraits, steel engravings,
machine-made oil landscapes and a few water-colors in every style of
frame imaginable.

"Oh, Mrs. McGwire!" the servant called up the flight of stairs which
reached the next floor above. "Are you there?"

"Yes, Mrs. Clark. What is it?"

"Rooms and board," was the answer.

"Very well. I'm coming right down."

The landlady proved to be a cheery, bustling little body about
thirty-five years of age. Her eyes were blue, her hair chestnut. She
bestowed a smile on the applicants that at once put them at ease.

"Yes, I happen to have two rooms at the top," she said, eying Dora's
attire with a woman's natural curiosity. "They are three flights up; I
have no others right now. My house is usually full at all seasons. You
see, I have many stand-by's; people who have been here for years call it
home. If you want to see the rooms you can leave your things here for a
while."

Leaving Dora below, John accompanied the landlady to the rooms above. On
seeing them he was