“They are all dead,” said Elizabeth, “and I have come away to school.”

“Poor child!” said the woman glibly.  “Come right home with me, and I’ll take care of you.  I know a nice way you can earn your living, and then you can study if you like.  But you’re quite big to go to school.  It seems to me you could have a good time without that.  You are a very pretty girl; do you know it?  You only need pretty clothes to make you a beauty.  If you come with me, I will let you earn some beautiful new clothes.”

“You are very kind,” said the girl gravely.  “I do need new clothes; and, if I could earn them, that would be all the better.”  She did not quite like the woman; yet of course that was foolish.

After a few more turns they stopped in front of a tall brick building with a number of windows.  It seemed to be a good deal like other buildings; in fact, as she looked up the street, Elizabeth thought there were miles of them just alike.  She tied her horse in front of the door, and went in with the woman.  The woman told her to sit down a minute until she called the lady of the house, who would tell her more about the school.  There were a number of pretty girls in the room, and they made very free to speak to her.  They twitted her about her clothes, and in a way reminded Elizabeth of the girls in the school she had just interviewed.

Suddenly she spoke up to the group.  An idea had occurred to her.  This was the school, and the woman had not liked to say so until she spoke to the teacher about her.

“Is this a school?” she asked shyly.

Her question was met with a shout of derisive laughter.

“School!” cried the boldest, prettiest one.  “School for scandal!  School for morals!”

There was one, a thin, pale girl with dark circles under her eyes, a sad droop to her mouth, and bright scarlet spots in her cheeks.  She came over to Elizabeth, and whispered something to her.  Elizabeth started forward, unspeakable horror in her face.

She fled to the door where she had come in, but found it fastened.  Then she turned as if she had been brought to bay by a pack of lions.

CHAPTER X

PHILADELPHIA AT LAST

“Open this door!” she commanded.  “Let me out of here at once.”

The pale girl started to do so, but the pretty one held her back.  “No, Nellie; Madam will be angry with us all if you open that door.”  Then she turned to Elizabeth, and said: 

“Whoever enters that door never goes out again.  You are nicely caught, my dear.”

There was a sting of bitterness and self-pity in the taunt at the end of the words.  Elizabeth felt it, as she seized her pistol from her belt, and pointed it at the astonished group.  They were not accustomed to girls with pistols.  “Open that door, or I will shoot you all!” she cried.

Then, as she heard some one descending the stairs, she rushed again into the room where she remembered the windows were open.  They were guarded by wire screens; but she caught up a chair, and dashed it through one, plunging out into the street in spite of detaining hands that reached for her, hands much hindered by the gleam of the pistol and the fear that it might go off in their midst.