"I wanted to come to the city to work."
"Her brother is married now."
"I'm afraid you've made a mistake." Mrs. Lebber contemplated the faded picture of the railroad conductor above the mantelpiece. "I never would 'a' thought I would have to take any one in to live with me for money. I thought always that I would have it better than I do have it."
"And I too," mourned Mrs. Sassaman.
Ellen bent her head. This was a doleful beginning. But in her "David Copperfield" there was a picture of the hero sitting with his satchel beside him, as she was sitting now. The recollection heartened her.
"I guess you could have the little room," said Mrs. Lebber; "that is, if it is you good enough."
Ellen carried her satchel up the stairs. The room indicated contained a bed, a bureau, and a chair; the remaining space measured about six feet by four. The lifted shade revealed the railroad yards and the sky.
"Just look once!" cried Mrs. Lebber, pointing tragically to a drift of black particles on the window-sill. "Do all you can and it don't help."
Having agreed to Mrs. Lebber's modest price, Ellen partook of the sauerkraut and descended once more to the business section. Food had restored her and she felt in herself a sense of adventure. She must expect unpleasant experiences, she reminded herself, and when they came she must remember her goal. She was in no immediate need of money, for pinned inside her dress were five ten dollar bills for which she had exchanged the nickels and dimes and quarters saved through her childhood, and the spending money which Matthew had given her.
She acquired between the hours of one and five a good deal of experience of store-keepers and their ways. She went first to the department store near the station where Amos bought his books and questioned the clerk nearest the door. The clerk looked at her curiously and directed her to an office on the second floor.