As soon as there was a lull, Hamilton said to the newcomer: 

“I beg your pardon, but since you seem to know French, would you mind explaining to Madame what the census is?  She seems to think I am a police spy, or something.”

“Oh, the census!” the girl exclaimed.  “I could not make out what it was all about.  I thought it must be some question of taxes.”

“No,” Hamilton explained, “it is the Census of Manufactures, and millinery places have to be counted.  I got along all right, and have finished my schedule but for one thing, and that I cannot get hold of.  If you would just ask her the cost of the materials in the hats she made last year, I’ll be through and then I won’t be delaying you.”

But not even the girl’s fluent French could bring any light on this subject, and laughingly she had to admit to the boy that her success had been no greater than his own.

“I’ll tell you,” said Hamilton; “I’ve got an idea how we could get at it.”

“How?” asked the girl interestedly, for having taken a part in it, she was American enough to be unwilling to give up; “what have you to suggest—­what is your plan?”

“You are one of Madame’s customers?”

“Yes.”

“And, of course, whatever kind of books are kept here, there must be some sort of ledger, so that your bills can go to you every month.”

The girl made a little grimace.

“The bills certainly come,” she assured him.

“Well, then,” said Hamilton triumphantly, “if we can find out from Madame what proportion of all her trade your account is, and if you can make a guess as to what the material you have brought her cost you, we shall come pretty close to being able to make an estimate on the cost of goods of all her customers.”

“That’s an excellent scheme,” the girl said.  “I don’t know that I can give very exact figures, but you want just a rough idea?”

“I’d like it exact, of course,” the boy answered, “but since that doesn’t seem easy to get, the next best thing is a close estimate.”

With this device in mind, very few minutes elapsed before the required information was secured, a rough guess made at the result, and the schedule finally filled out.  As Hamilton rose to go, the girl said laughingly:  “I think I should at least receive ‘honorable mention’ in the dispatches as a census-taker, the same as soldiers do in war.”

“Very well,” said Hamilton, smiling in return, “I’ll bear it in mind,” and thanking her heartily, he went on his way, greatly relieved that the difficulty was over.

In a piece of extra territory that Mr. Burns had assigned to the boy, there were several factories in which there had been some difficulty in securing properly filled schedules, partly because much of the work was done on the night shift.  Because of this, Hamilton had got in touch with some of these factories—­they were principally glass works—­on the night side first.  He frequently found it necessary to work thus in the evenings, especially after this added work, which was given him because the district proved too large for the agent having it in charge.