"Thank you, Mr. Kimper. I might have known as much from what I heard
during your remarks the other night. I only wanted to say to you that
Mr. Bartram is a very smart talker and very quick to see whatever
mistakes any one else may make."

"If I make any mistakes," said Sam, "it's because of somebody who's a
great deal smarter than I am, who don't back me up as much as I need
for the time-bein'."

"Good-day, Mr Kimper," said the lady.

"Good-day, ma'am," said the ex-convict.

He stood in the dingy shop looking out of the window at the retreating
form of the lady, and then at the gathering clouds over the evening
sunset, and at the houses on the opposite side of the street,
apparently that he might divert his mind from something. Then he
looked at the coin which he had received for the work, as if it were an
amulet or a charm.

Suddenly his attention was distracted by the appearance, on the other
side of the street, of a very pretty young woman, accompanied by a
young man in good attire and of fine bearing.

"Well, well," said the ex-convict, "I wonder if that's what it means?
That's Bartram himself, as sure as I'm born, an' with him is Mrs.
Prency's only daughter an' only child. Well, well!"