I can scarcely wait to see how pretty you're going to look in it all." For answer the girl turned to the wall, hid her face in the pillows, and sobbed.
Kate laid a hand upon her hair--soft, fine brown hair with tempting little waves and gleams in it.

There came to her a hideous vision of how that hair might have looked by this time had she not--by the merest chance-- It gave her a feeling of proprietary tenderness for the girl.

It seemed indeed that this life was in her hands--for was it not her hands had kept it a life?
"Please," she murmured gently, persuasively, as the sobs grew wilder.
Suddenly the girl raised her head and turned upon Katie passionately.
"What do you mean?
What is this all about?
I know well enough that people are not like this! This is not the way the world is!" "Not like what ?" Kate asked quietly.
"Doing things for people they don't have to do things for! Taking people into their houses and giving them things--their best things!--treating them as if there was some reason for treating them like that! I never heard of such a thing.

What are you doing it for ?" Katie sat there smiling at her calmly.

"Do you want to know the honest truth ?" The girl nodded, looking at her with anticipatory defiance, but that defiance which could so easily crumble to despair.
"Very well then," she began lightly, "here goes.