Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/80

68 right to be inquirin' round. Them hotel-keepers is goin' to tot up bills several storeys higher than their hotels is themselves."

"But I suppose a person needn't go to a hotel," said Robin. "There must be plenty of poor people who can't go to hotels, and they'll have to sleep somewhere."

"Oh, there's plenty of poor people," responded Jones cheerfully—"plenty of 'em. Always is. But they won't go to Chicago while the Fair's on. They'll sleep at home—that's where they'll sleep."

"That's the worst of it," Rob said to Meg afterwards. "You see, we have to sleep somewhere. We could live on bread and milk, or crackers and cheese, or oatmeal, but we have to sleep somewhere."

"It will be warm weather," Meg said reflectively. "Perhaps we could sleep out of doors. Beggars do. We don't mind."

"I don't think the police would let us," Robin answered. "If they would—perhaps we might have to, some night. But we are going to that place, Meg—we are going."

Yes, they believed they were going, and lived on the belief. This being decided, howsoever difficult to attain, it was like them both that they should dwell upon the dream, and revel in it in a way peculiarly