der
waved them to seats with maudlin politeness. He was a handsome young
man, partly drunk already; he pushed the woman he had with him into a
chair, and dropped into another himself. His back was toward Jane; she
stood still a minute, then walked slowly, as if something dragged her,
till she could see his face.

The glass she held fell from her hand with a crash, but she stood dumb
and white, and clung trembling to the table. He started, but gave her a
nod.

'_You_, Will Prescott! Oh, my God!'

'You here, Jane! And you're one of 'em too! I didn't think it quite so
soon.'

She did not seem to hear the last words. The blood surged back to her
face, and she sank at his feet.

'No, no,' she moaned, 'I'm not, I'm not--I'm only here. You won't think
worse of me, Will, seeing I did it for _them_? I must work somewhere,
and this was all I could find. Say you don't think _that_! Say you
believe me!'

He smiled in a drunken way, without speaking.

'Say it, Will! Say you love me, and take me out of this!'

'Ho, ho! that's a devilish good one! You're here, and so'm I; I'm just a
little merry to-night--couldn't wait till to-morrow. We're well met,
Jane--these are my friends; here's my most par-ticular friend,' laying
his hand on his companion's shoulder.

The girl seemed to be stunned so that she did not understand.

'See it, hey? 'Say you love me!' You do it beautifully, Jane--do some
more. Did you ever think I loved you?--Oh, yes! and that I wanted to
marry you--of course! If your face hadn't looked prettier'n it does now,
damn me if I'd ever looked twice at it!'

He turned his chair a little.

'What's that!' he screamed, catching sight of the painting on the wall.
'Take it away! You put it there, you wretch!' staring at it with his
eyes fixed.

The noise brought the owner to the door--a burly Dutchman.

'Landlord, put that thing away--cover it up! Damnation! Do I want to
come here to be preached at?'

'Who pulled that paper off, I say?' said the man. 'I pinned _The
Clipper_ over it. You did it, I swar! Be off with yer!'

'Oh, let her stay, Lumpsey,' said a woman that came in from the bar;
'she'll be one on 'em when she gits round.'

'I won't; I won't have nobody here that's better'n we be no longer.
Here's yer pay; an' now, missis, start yerself, an' don't yer come nigh
here agen 'thout yer'll behave decent an' be one on us.'

He tossed some bank notes toward her, took her by the shoulders, and
shoved he