Page:Madame Butterfly; Purple eyes; A gentleman of Japan and a lady; Kito; Glory (1904).djvu/123

 Garland detained her. She was very dainty and very confiding—very wise. She had unconsciously got very close to him. And Garland had vanquished his alarm of her.

"Me? I don' wish; but I got git you somethings eat. Soon you starve. I got."

But Garland would not let her go—and she was a willing captive, though she dissembled an urgent necessity.

"Where is Black-Eyes—and your mother? " asked Garland.

The girl seemed reluctant, but told him that they all worked in the neighboring silkmill, the pulsations of which he had heard in the night.

"Never mind. I 'd rather famish," said the impulsive Garland, with a strange remorse. "Will you assist?"

"Yaes," laughed the girl. "Me? I been famish—many times."

"Heavens!" breathed Garland, inventorying all her daintiness once more. "How much do your mother and sister earn? "

The girl seemed quite indifferent as to this.

"Sometime fi' sen; sometime ten—fifteen; one times, twenty-two."

"And you?"