"--And then, anyhow!"--he stopped and extended both hands, speaking, of course, in French,--"anyhow, he is the favored friend of Dr. Sevier. If I hurt him--I lose my situation! If he hurts me--I lose my situation!" He dried his eyes. His aunt saw the insurmountability of the difficulty, and they drowned feeling in an affectionate glass of green-orangeade. "But never mind!" Narcisse set his glass down and drew out his tobacco. He laughed spasmodically as he rolled his cigarette. "You shall see. The game is not finished yet." Yet Richling passed the next day and night without assassination, and on the second morning afterward, as on the first, went out in quest of employment. He and Mary had eaten bread, and it had gone into their life without a remainder either in larder or purse. Richling was all aimless. "I do wish I had the _art_ of finding work," said he. He smiled. "I'll get it," he added, breaking their last crust in two. "I have the science already. Why, look you, Mary, the quiet, amiable, imperturbable, dignified, diurnal, inexorable haunting of men of influence will get you whatever you want." "Well, why don't you do it, dear? Is there any harm in it? I don't see any harm in it. Why don't you do that very thing?" "I'm telling you the truth," answered he, ignoring her question. "Nothing else short of overtowering merit will get you what you want half so surely." "Well, why not do it? Why not?" A fresh, glad courage sparkled in the wife's eyes. "Why, Mary," said John, "I never in my life tried so hard to do anything else as I've tried to do that! It sounds easy; but try it! You can't conceive how hard it is till you try it. I can't _do_ it! I _can't_ do it!" "_I'd_ do it!" cried Mary. Her face shone. "_I'd_ do it! You'd see if I didn't! Why, John"-- "All right!" exclaimed he; "you sha'n't talk that way to me for nothing. I'll try it again! I'll begin to-day!" "Good-by," he said. He reached an arm over one of her shoulders and around under the other and drew her up on tiptoe. She threw both hers about his neck. A long kiss--then a short one. "John, something tells me we're near the end of our troubles." John laughed grimly. "Ristofalo was to get back to the city to-day: maybe he's going to put us out of our misery. There are two ways for troubles to end." He walked away as he spoke. As he passed under the window in the alley, its sash was thrown up and Mary leaned out on her elbows. "John!" "Well?" They looked into each other's eyes with the quiet pleasure of tried lovers, and were silent a moment. She leaned a little farther down, and said, softly:-- "You mustn't mind what I said just now." "Why, what did you say?" "That if it were I, I'd do it. I know you can do anything I can do, and a hundred better things besides." He lifted his hand to her cheek. "We'll see," he whispered. She drew in, and he moved on.