“What do you want?” she inquired shortly.

“Ham!  Give me some of that ham over there, miss, and a cup of tea!  Bread too!” Curtis cried eagerly.  “Do you know what it is to have a twist on, miss?  I have one on now—­so please give us a full twenty-five cents’ worth.”

Kelson said nothing, but his eyes glistened, and the girl wondered as she passed him the polonies.

Both men ate as they had never eaten before, and as they would not have eaten now had they paid any attention to the advice of hunger experts.  However, they survived, and when they could eat no more they leaned back in their chairs to enjoy the sensation of returning—­albeit, slowly returning—­strength.

Curtis was the first to make a move.  “Matt,” he murmured, “we’ve about sat our sit.  We’d better be off.  You go and say a few nice words to the girl and make pretence of paying.  I’ll secure the ham—­there’s still a good bit left—­and anything else I can grab.  The moment I do this, throw these chairs on the ground so that the girl will fall over them when she makes a dash for me, which she is certain to do.  We will then head straight away for 216th Street.  Don’t look so scared or she will think there is something up.  She has never taken her eyes off you since we sat down!”

“She’s rather a nice girl!” Kelson said.  “I wish I didn’t look quite such a blackguard—­and—­I wish I hadn’t to be quite such a blackguard.  Who’ll pay for all this?  Will she?”

“We shan’t, anyway,” Curtis sneered.  “Come, this is no time to be sentimental.  It was a question of life and death with us, and we’ve only done what any one else would do in our circumstances.  The girl won’t lose much!  Are you ready?”

Curtis rose, and Kelson, who was accustomed to obey him, reluctantly followed suit.  A look almost suggestive of fear came into the girl’s eyes as they encountered those of Curtis, and she shot a swift glance at an inner door.  Then Kelson spoke, and as she turned her head towards him, her lips parted in a sort of smile.

“Nice night, miss, isn’t it?” Kelson said, halting half-way between the counter and the chairs.  “Aren’t you a bit lonely here all by yourself?”

“Sometimes,” the girl laughed.  “But my mother’s in the room there,” and she nodded in the direction of the closed door.  “And one can’t be dull when she’s about.  She’s that there active as a rule, there’s no keeping her quiet—­only just at present”—­here she glanced apprehensively at Curtis—­“she’s recovering from ague.  Gets it every year about this time.  Your friend seems to have kind of taken a fancy to our ham!”