The girl laughed again, with a cynical squinting of the eyes. "Oh, Gideon's our biggest customer. He buys for the largest house in Chicago."
"I'm looking for a place to live," said Susan. "Some place in this part of town."
"How much do you want to spend?"
"I'm to have ten a week. So I can't afford more than twelve or fourteen a month for rent, can I?"
"If you happen to have to live on the ten," was the reply with a sly, merry smile.
"It's all I've got."
Again the girl laughed, the good-humored mercenary eyes twinkling rakishly. "Well—you can't get much for fourteen a month."
"I don't care, so long as it's clean."
"Gee, you're reasonable, ain't you?" cried the girl. "Clean! I pay fourteen a week, and all kinds of things come through the cracks from the other apartments. You must be a stranger to little old New York—bugtown, a lady friend of mine calls it. Alone?"
"Yes."