"See here, Grace," said the physician, "you know me, surely--old Doctor
Oldham, can't you tell me what it is that's wrong?"
She made no answer.
"Come, let me take you to the Hotel," he urged; "it's only a step."
"No--no," she moaned, "I can't go there. I don't live there any more."
"Well where do you live now?" he asked.
"Over in Old Town."
"But why did you leave your place at the Hotel?"
"A--a man there said something that I didn't like, and then the
proprietor told me that I must go, because some of the people were
talking about me, and I was giving the Hotel a bad name. Oh, Doctor, I
ain't a bad girl, I ain't never been, but folks are driving me to it.
That or--or--" she hesitated.
What could he say?
"It's the same everywhere I try to work," she continued in a hopeless
tone. "At the canning factory the other girls said their folks wouldn't
let them work there if I didn't go. I haven't been able to earn a cent
since I left the Hotel. I don't know what to do,--oh, I don't know what
to do!" She broke down crying.
"Look here, why didn't you come to me?" the Doctor asked roughly. "You
knew you could come to me. Didn't I tell you to?"
"I--I was afraid. I'm afraid of everybody." She shivered and looked over
her shoulder.
The Doctor saw that this thing had gone far enough. "Come with me," he
said. "You must have something to eat."
He started to lead her across the street toward Mrs. Mulhall whom he
could see at the gate watching them.
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