d by his aptness. As soon as the third piece had disappeared
she gave him the fourth, and all that remained.

"There!" she thought; "by the time that is gone he will have learned
the fork lesson completely!"

But the fourth quarter went slowly. Towsley eyed it lingeringly, even
lovingly, yet the passes toward his crumby lips were few and far
between. The lady grew somewhat disturbed, for, from his previous
exhibition of it, she had supposed there could be no limit to the
child's appetite.

"Is there anything wrong with it, Towsley? Doesn't it taste as nicely
as the rest?"

"Well, ma'am--Miss Armacost, not quite. I think it's getting--getting
a little--little bitter."

The hostess checked another smile and proffered the beef which she had
carved. This was declined. So was everything else she suggested, and
they rose from the table.

Miss Lucy rang the bell that summoned Jefferson, who was not only
coachman but a man-of-all-work in the quiet establishment. When this
gray-headed "boy" appeared, the newsboy was put into his charge with
the order:

"Take him to the third floor bath. He is to sleep in the front hall
bedroom. After you have attended him to bed, come to me. I will have
something else for you to do."

Jefferson was good-natured and devoted to Miss Armacost; but he liked
things to go along in an orderly way. Commonly, he would have been
through with all his tasks for the day, and he looked with something
like disgust at this dirty street arab who was thus turning the
household "all tipsy-topsy." But he dared not show his feelings to his
mistress, and with a gruff "Come along, then," he guided Towsley
toward the top of the house.

An hour later Miss Lucy called Mary.

"Did he take his bath nicely? Was he troublesome to Jefferson? I
thought I heard voices--rather loud ones."

"Yes, ma'am, I guess you did. They had some words, them two. No,
ma'am, he didn't take his bath. He didn't even touch to do it.
Jefferson says the kid shut the door in his face, and the next he
knew he heard the water running out the tub. 'Twasn't a minute then,
before he hopped right into the middle of that lovely clean bed with a
kind of a yell. 'I'm a gentleman for one night, I am!' says he, 'and
when I'm a man I'll be one all the time!' But the dirty little scamp!
Fooling old Jeff that way."

"Well, he'll do better after a little. He's a very bright child. I can
see that distinctly."

"After a while, ma'am? Is he to stop