"No, ma'am. There is no such person here."
"Does she live in the neighbourhood?"
"She may be in No. ——."
We made inquiries at several doors, dodging in quickly to avoid the great drops which came pattering down on the pavement from the gutterless eaves, but we could learn nothing of the object of our search.
At length we came to a grocery, and, stepping in by the mackerel barrels which stood at the door, we repeated our inquiry—
"Can you tell us where Mrs. Smith lives? She is an old lady, almost blind, and has a little grandson."
"Oh, yes! I know her well. She is a deserving, needy woman."
The man followed us to the street to point out the house where she lived. As he was telling us, a woman passed by. He spoke to her, saying,
"You know where Mrs. Smith lives—the old lady who is almost blind, and who has a little grandson?"
"Yes."