I know quite a different sort o' work
that you an' me can both do, and ef you'll come with me this evening I
can tell yer all about it."

"What sort of work?" asked Connie.

"Beautiful, refined--the sort as you love. But I am not going to tell
yer ef yer give me away."

"What do you mean by that, Agnes?"

"I means wot I say--I'll tell yer to-night ef yer'll come 'ome with me."

"Yer mean that I'm to spend all the evening with yer?" asked Connie.

"Yes--that's about it. _You_ are to come 'ome with me, and we'll talk.
Why, bless yer! with that drinkin' father o' yourn, wot do you want all
alone by yer lonesome? You give me a promise. And now I must pay hup,
and we'll be off."

"I'll come, o' course," said Connie after brief reflection. "Why
shouldn't I?" she added. "There's naught to keep me to home."

The girls left the A.B.C. shop and returned to their work.

Whir! whir! went the big machines. The young heads were bent over their
accustomed toil; the hands on the face of the great clock which Connie
so often looked at went on their way. Slowly--very slowly--the time
sped. Would that long day ever come to an end?

The machinists' hours were from eight o'clock in the morning to six in
the evening. Sometimes, when there were extra lots of ready-made clothes
to be produced, they were kept till seven or even eight o'clock. But for
this extra work there was a small extra pay, so that few of them really
minded. But Connie dreaded extra hours extremely. She was not really
dependent on the work, although Peter would have been very angry with
his girl had she idled her time. She herself, too, preferred doing this
to doing nothing. But to-night, of all nights, she was most impatient to
get away with Agnes in order to discover what that fascinating young
person's secret was.

She looked impatiently at the clock; so much so that Agnes herself, as
she watched her eyes, chuckled now and then.

"She'll be an easy prey," thought Agnes Coppenger. "I'll soon get 'er
into my power."

At six o'clock there was no further delay; no extra work was required,
and the machinists poured into the sloppy, dark, and dreary streets.

"Come along now, quickly," said Agnes. "Don't wait for Sue; Sue has
nothing to do with you from this time out."

"Oh dear! oh dear!" said Connie. "But I don't want to give up Sue and
Giles. You ha' never seen little Giles Mason?"

"No," replied Agnes, "and don't want to. Wot be Giles to me?"

"Oh," s