"Josh, have you seen that girl since?"

"No," said Joshua.

"Nor any other girl like her?"

"No," said Joshua wonderingly. "You see I only got to know her on your
account, Ellen, that she might see you."

"Well, don't you do it any more! None of 'em! Promise me!" She leaned
forward eagerly in her chair.

"But Ellen,"--her husband began gravely.

"I know what you're going to say, but they can't do me any good, and you
can't do them any good as you did ME, so there!"

Mr. Rylands was silent, and smiled meditatively.

"Josh!"

"Yes."

"When you met me that night on the Sacramento boat, and looked at me,
did you--did I," she hesitated,--"did you look at me because I had been
crying?"

"I thought you were troubled in spirit, and looked so."