‘Do you live comfortably here, father?’ she said presently.

‘We do, Clara.  It’s a bit high up, but that don’t matter much.’

‘You’ve got new furniture.’

‘Yes, some new things.  The old was all done for, you know.’

‘And where did you live before you came here?’

’Oh, we had a place in King’s Cross Road—­it wasn’t much of a place, but I suppose it might a’ been worse.’

‘And that was where—?’

‘Yes—­yes—­it was there.’

‘And how did you manage to buy this furniture?’ Clara asked, after a pause.

’Well, my dear, to tell you the truth—­it was a friend as—­an old friend helped us a bit.’

‘You wouldn’t care to say who it was?’

John was gravely embarrassed.  Clara moved her head a little, so as to regard him, but at once turned away, shrinkingiy, when she met his eyes.

‘Why don’t you like to tell me, father?  Was it Mr. Kirkwood?’

‘Yes, my dear, it was.’

Neither spoke for a long time.  Clara’s head sank lower; she drew her hand away from her father’s, and used it to shield her face.  When she spoke, it was as if to herself.

‘I suppose he’s altered in some ways?’

’Not much; I don’t see much change, myself, but then of course—­ No, he’s pretty much the same.’

’He’s married, isn’t he?

’Married?  Why, what made you think that.  Clara?  No, not he.  He had to move not long ago; his lodgin’s is in Red Lion Street now.’

‘And does he ever come here?’

‘He has been—­just now an’ then.’

‘Have you told him ?’

‘Why—­yes, dear—­I felt I had to.’

’There’s no harm.  You couldn’t keep it a secret.  But he mustn’t come whilst I’m here; you understand that, father?’

‘No, no, he shan’t.  He shall never come, if you don’t wish it.’

‘Only whilst I’m here.’

‘But—­Clara—­you’ll always be here.’

’Oh no!  Do you think I’m going to burden you all the rest of my life?  I shall find some way of earning a living, and then I shall go and get a room for myself.’

‘Now don’t—­now don’t talk like that!’ exclaimed her father, putting his hand on her.  ’You shall do what else you like, my girl, but don’t talk about goin’ away from me.  That’s the one thing as I couldn’t bear.  I ain’t so young as I was, and I’ve had things as was hard to go through—­I mean when the mother died and—­and other things at that time.  Let you an’ me stay by each other whilst we may, my girl.  You know it was always you as I thought most of, and I want to keep you by me—­I do, Clara.  You won’t speak about goin’ away?’

She remained mute.  Shadows from the firelight rose and fell upon the walls of the half-darkened room.  It was a cloudy morning; every now and then a gust flung rain against the window.