"Nice night, miss, isn't it?" Kelson said, halting half-way between
the counter and the chairs. "Aren't you a bit lonely here all by
yourself?"

"Sometimes," the girl laughed. "But my mother's in the room there,"
and she nodded in the direction of the closed door. "And one can't be
dull when she's about. She's that there active as a rule, there's no
keeping her quiet--only just at present"--here she glanced
apprehensively at Curtis--"she's recovering from ague. Gets it every
year about this time. Your friend seems to have kind of taken a fancy
to our ham!"

Kelson looked at Curtis and his heart thumped. Curtis's right hand was
getting ready to spring at the ham, whilst his left was creeping
stealthily along the counter in the direction of a loaf of bread.
Kelson slowly realized that an acute crisis in both their lives was at
hand, and that it depended on him how it would end. He had never
thought it possible to feel as mean as he felt now. Besides, his
natural sympathy with women tempted him to stand by the girl and
prevent Curtis from robbing her. He was still deliberating, when he
saw two long dark objects, with lightning rapidity, swoop down on the
plates and dishes. There was a loud clatter, and the next moment the
whole place seemed alive with movement.

A voice which in his confusion he did not recognize at once
shouted--and seemingly from far away--"Quick, you fool, quick! Fling
down the chairs and grab those sausages!" Whilst from close beside
him--almost, he fancied, in his ears--came a wild shriek of "Mother!
Mother! We are being robbed!"