up to-morrow."

"I hope you'll excuse the looks. I'm a lone woman, and my help is so
shiftless, I have to look after everything myself; so I can't keep
things as straight as I want to."

"All right!" said Dick.

"Can you pay me the first week in advance?" asked the landlady,
cautiously.

Dick responded by drawing seventy-five cents from his pocket, and
placing it in her hand.

"What's your business, sir, if I may inquire?" said Mrs. Mooney.

"Oh, I'm professional!" said Dick.

"Indeed!" said the landlady, who did not feel much enlightened by
this answer.

"How's Tom?" asked Dick.

"Do you know my Tom?" said Mrs. Mooney in surprise. "He's gone to
sea,--to Californy. He went last week."

"Did he?" said Dick. "Yes, I knew him."

Mrs. Mooney looked upon her new lodger with increased favor, on
finding that he was acquainted with her son, who, by the way, was
one of the worst young scamps in Mott Street, which is saying
considerable.

"I'll bring over my baggage from the Astor House this evening," said
Dick in a tone of importance.

"From the Astor House!" repeated Mrs. Mooney, in fresh amazement.

"Yes, I've been stoppin' there a short time with some friends," said
Dick.

Mrs. Mooney might be excused for a little amazement at finding that
a guest from the Astor House was about to become one of her
lodgers--such transfers not being common.

"Did you say you was purfessional?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," said Dick, politely.

"You aint a--a--" Mrs. Mooney paused, uncertain what conjecture to
hazard.

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort," said Dick, promptly. "How could you
think so, Mrs. Mooney?"

"No offence, sir," said the landlady, more perplexed than ever.

"Certainly not," said our hero. "But you must excuse me now, Mrs.
Mooney, as I have business of great importance to attend to."

"You'll come round this evening?"

Dick answered in the affirmative, and turned away.

"I wonder what he is!" thought the landlady, following him with her
eyes as he crossed the street. "He's got good clothes on, but he
don't seem very particular about his room. Well; I've got all my
rooms full now. That's one comfort."

Dick felt more comfortable now that he had taken the decisive step
of hiring a lodging, and paying a week's rent in advance. For seven
nights he was sure of a shelter and a bed to sleep in. The thought
was a pleasant one to our young vagrant, who hitherto had seldom
known when he rose in the morning