Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/163

Rh the man had not slept off his drunken fit. He struck the door with his foot.

"Hand out that fifty cents," he shouted. "When my wife takes roomers, I'm goin' to be paid. Hand it out."

They heard the woman hurrying up the stairs after him. She was out of breath with crying, and there was a choking sound in her voice when she spoke to them through the door.

"You'd better let him have it," she said.

"I guess they'd better!" said the man roughly. "Who'd they suppose owns the house."

Rob got up and took fifty cents from their very small store, which was hidden in the lining of his trousers. He went to the door and opened it a little, and held the money out.

"Here it is," he said.

The man snatched it out of his hand and turned away, and went stumbling downstairs, still growling. The woman stood a minute on the landing, and they heard her make a pitiful sort of sound—half sob, half sniff.

Meg sat up in bed with her chin in her hands and glared like a little lioness.

"What do you think of that?" she said.

"He's a devil," said Rob, with terseness, and he was