'Everything.' He laid his hand on the hand that was on his arm. 'I know you will tell me.'
And very much to her own bewilderment, she found herself telling him, not all, but enough for him to be able easily enough to guess all. She laid most stress upon the sense of desolation which had come over her in her new lodgings, and on the resistless impulse that had driven her out into the streets. When once she had begun to speak, she found a quite unexpected relief in the telling of this story which had never passed her lips before.
'It is the loneliness I mind now,' she ended; 'not the work, though that is hard enough.'
'The greater part of life is hard,' said her companion, 'and the best thing in it for some of us is to be able to make the lives of others a little less hard. I think it possible I may be able to make your life somewhat easier for you. At any rate I think I could manage to get you work which would be better paid for than your tailors' sewing.'
'Thank you,' was all Alice said. 'You are very kind.'
'I shall do that for you with much pleasure, but in return you must do something for me. I cannot part from you until you have promised me never again to attempt what you were prevented in to-night.'
'I cannot promise never to do it. All I can say is, I do not mean to now.'
'At any rate, promise that you will do nothing till you have seen me again.'
'Yes, I will promise that. I wonder whether the house door will be unlocked. We are close there now. If it is not, I must walk about till morning.'
'I must walk with you in that case, so we will see before I leave you whether it is or not.'