Page:Girls of Central High on the Stage.djvu/33

Rh fire. "It ain't many days before rent's due again. If ye have it handy ye can pay me now, Miss Josephine."

"It isn't handy, Mr. Chumley. We are shorter than usual just now," said Jess, hating the phrase that comes so often to the lips of poverty.

"Well! well! Can't expect money before it's due, I s'pose," said the old man, licking his thin lips. "And I'm afraid ye find it pretty hard to meet your bills at 'tis?" he added, his head on one side like a gray old stork.

Jess flushed and then paled. What had he heard? Had that Mrs. Brown, in the grocer's shop, told him already that Mr. Closewick had refused to let her increase the bill? The girl looked at him without speaking, schooling her features to betray nothing of the fear that gripped her heart.

"Hey?" squeaked Mr. Chumley. "Don't ye hear well?"

"I hear you, sir," said Jess, glancing quickly to make sure that she had closed the door tightly between the kitchen and the room in which her mother was at work.

"Well, I'm willin' to help folks out—always," said Mr. Chumley, his withered cheek flushing. "If you're finding the rent of this