"Mrs. Brownly," said Henry Martin, "here's a boy who wants to room with me. You said you'd let the room to two for two dollars and a half a week."
"Yes," said she, cheered by the prospect of even a small addition to her income. "I have no objection. What is his name?"
"Same Barker," answered our hero.
"Have you got a place?" asked Mrs. Brownly, cautiously.
"Yes, he's got a place near me," answered Henry Martin for him.
"I expect to be paid regularly," said Mrs. Brownly. "I'm a widow, dependent on what I get from my lodgers."
"I settle all my bills reg'lar," said Sam. "I ain't owin' anything except for the rent of a pianner, last quarter."
Mrs. Brownly looked surprised, and so did Henry Martin.
"The room you will have here isn't large enough for a piano," she said.
"I ain't got no time to play now," said Sam; "my business is too pressing."