The elder had thought of that, perhaps, and had provided against any refusal by retreating. As he went away he said to himself: "She can do it, I know; if she does, it'll help me carry out my plan." He looked, just then, as if it were a very good plan, but he did not reveal it. Mary Ogden persuaded Mrs. Murdoch to take her to another church that morning, so that she need not meet any of her new class. "I hope Jack will go to church in the city," she said; and her mother said the same thing to Aunt Melinda over in Crofield. Jack could not have given any reason why his feet turned westward, but he went slowly along for several blocks, while he stared at the rows of buildings, at the sidewalks, at the pavements, and at everything else, great and small. He was actually leaving the world in which he had been brought up--the Crofield world--and taking a first stroll around in a world of quite another sort. He met some people on the streets, but not many. "They're all getting ready for church," he thought, and his next thought was expressed aloud. "Whew! what street's this, I wonder?" He had passed row after row of fine buildings, but suddenly he had turned into a wide avenue which seemed a street of palaces. Forward he went, faster and faster, staring eagerly at one after another of those elegant mansions of stone, of marble, or of brick. "See here, Johnny," he suddenly heard in a sharp voice close to him, "what number do you want?" "Hallo," said Jack, halting and turning. "What street's this?" He was looking up into the good-natured face of a tall man in a neat blue uniform. "What are you looking for?" began the policeman again. But, without waiting for Jack's answer, he went on, "Oh, I see! You're a greeny lookin' at Fifth Avenue. Mind where you're going, or you'll run into somebody!" "Is this Fifth Avenue?" Jack asked. "I wish I knew who owned these houses." "You do, do you?" laughed the man in blue. "Well, I can tell you some of them. That house belongs to--" and the policeman went on giving name after name, and pointing out the finest houses. Some of the names were familiar to Jack. He had read about these men in newspapers, and it was pleasant to see where they lived. "See that house?" asked the policeman, pointing at one of the finest residences. "Well, the man that owns it came to New York as poor as you, maybe poorer. Not quite so green, of course! But you'll soon get over that. See that big house yonder, on the corner? Well, the cash for that was gathered by a chap who began as a deck-hand. Most of the big guns came up from nearly nothing. Now you walk along and look out; but mind you don't run over anybody." "Much obliged," said Jack, and as he walked on, he kept his eyes open, but his thoughts were busy with what the policeman had told him.