Janet trod slowly with her naked feet on the rough pavement, trembling at the fitful gleams of starlight, and supporting herself by the wall, as the gusts of wind drove right against her.  The very wind was cruel:  it tried to push her back from the door where she wanted to go and knock and ask for pity.

Mrs. Pettifer’s house did not look into Orchard Street:  it stood a little way up a wide passage which opened into the street through an archway.  Janet turned up the archway, and saw a faint light coming from Mrs. Pettifer’s bedroom window.  The glimmer of a rushlight from a room where a friend was lying, was like a ray of mercy to Janet, after that long, long time of darkness and loneliness; it would not be so dreadful to awake Mrs. Pettifer as she had thought.  Yet she lingered some minutes at the door before she gathered courage to knock; she felt as if the sound must betray her to others besides Mrs. Pettifer, though there was no other dwelling that opened into the passage—­only warehouses and outbuildings.  There was no gravel for her to throw up at the window, nothing but heavy pavement; there was no door-bell; she must knock.  Her first rap was very timid—­one feeble fall of the knocker; and then she stood still again for many minutes; but presently she rallied her courage and knocked several times together, not loudly, but rapidly, so that Mrs. Pettifer, if she only heard the sound, could not mistake it.  And she had heard it, for by and by the casement of her window was opened, and Janet perceived that she was bending out to try and discern who it was at the door.

’It is I, Mrs. Pettifer; it is Janet Dempster.  Take me in, for pity’s sake.’

‘Merciful God! what has happened?’

‘Robert has turned me out.  I have been in the cold a long while.’

Mrs. Pettifer said no more, but hurried away from the window, and was soon at the door with a light in her hand.

‘Come in, my poor dear, come in,’ said the good woman in a tremulous voice, drawing Janet within the door.  ’Come into my warm bed, and may God in heaven save and comfort you.’

The pitying eyes, the tender voice, the warm touch, caused a rush of new feeling in Janet.  Her heart swelled, and she burst out suddenly, like a child, into loud passionate sobs.  Mrs. Pettifer could not help crying with her, but she said, ’Come upstairs, my dear, come.  Don’t linger in the cold.’

She drew the poor sobbing thing gently up-stairs, and persuaded her to get into the warm bed.  But it was long before Janet could lie down.  She sat leaning her head on her knees, convulsed by sobs, while the motherly woman covered her with clothes and held her arms round her to comfort her with warmth.  At last the hysterical passion had exhausted itself, and she fell back on the pillow; but her throat was still agitated by piteous after-sobs, such as shake a little child even when it has found a refuge from its alarms on its mother’s lap.