"I guess it ain't quite as good as you say," replied Violet; "but it soon will be. Have you--I didn't get no news while I was sick. Have you heard anything about--things?" "You knew Rose's place was pinched?" "Yes, Katie told me that." "Well, dey had some trouble gettin' pail fur her. Everybody vas afraid fur to do it vith O'Malley after her. Still, dey vorked it somevays und nobody thought but she'd jump it und run avay; but she didn't. She tried, but O'Malley had central office men keepin' eyes on her, und she can't leaf town." Katie and Carrie were busying themselves in the preparation of the supper, and the German seated himself beside the invalid. "Mr. Hoffmann," she said, "I've been tryin' to think of lots of things while I've been sick, an' I'd like to know how it is that women like Miss Rose are allowed?" He looked at her, hesitating, but her eyes were frankly curious. "Dot's von long story," he answered in his slow tones, "un' dem as can tell it best is most all in deir houses or in deir graves, or else, in de streets." "Then I guess I was lucky to get away." "If you don't mind me sayin' it--yes, miss." "But don't the girls get free when the houses are pinched?" "No," said Hermann, as gently as he could; "dey don't get free. Ofer to de Night Court a voman has taken five s'ousand to a blace she has, und how many sink you didn't go back to de vork again? Less'n von hundret und fifty." "I don't see how they could," said Violet. Hermann could not see how they could do anything else, but he only shrugged his broad shoulders. "They don't last long anyvays," he remarked. "You mean they die soon?" "Effery five year all de girls is new: it's as sure as life insurance." The girl shuddered, but mastered herself. "Don't mind that," she reassured him. "I want to know--honest. Katie and Carrie won't be bothered----" "We can't hear a word you're sayin', darlin'," laughed Katie. "An', honest," Violet concluded. "There's some things I think I've got to learn so's I can see it--see it _all_." She appealed, it happened, to an authority. Hermann supplemented his Marx with facts and statistics of a later date, especially upon the point at issue, and he was only too glad to find in Violet the listener that he could never discover in Katie. "You're righd," he said; "und the only pity is dot more people don't try to more about it learn. If dey did, maybe ve'd all open our eyes some."