“Ah!”
There was a deep sigh close by me, and I saw that the young lady addressed as Miss Carr was deadly pale, and for the first time I noticed that she was in deep mourning.
“My dear Miss Carr!” whispered the young man earnestly.
“Don’t speak to me for a minute,” she said in the same tone; and then I saw her face working and lip quivering as she gazed wistfully at me.
“Poor lad!” said the elder man abruptly. Then, “Your friends, my boy, your relatives?”
“I have none, sir,” I said huskily, “only an uncle, and I don’t know for certain where he lives.”
“But you don’t mean that you are alone in the world?” said the young man quickly, and he glanced at the lady as he spoke.
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly, for I had now recovered myself, “I am quite alone, and I want to get a situation to earn my living.”
The elder gentleman turned upon me and seemed to look me through and through.
“Now, look here, young fellow,” he said, “you are either a very unfortunate boy or a designing young impostor.”