The magnet attracting a waif amid forces

part. "How could you deceive me so? You cannot expect me to have anything 
more to do with you. I wouldn't under any circumstances. Oh, how could 
you act so?" she added in a burst of feeling. "You have caused me more 
misery than you can think. I hope you will get over your infatuation for me. 
We must not meet any more. Good-bye." 
She took the letter the next morning, and at the corner dropped it 
reluctantly into the letter-box, still uncertain as to whether she should do so 
or not. Then she took the car and went down town. 
This was the dull season with the department stores, but she was listened to 
with more consideration than was usually accorded to young women 
applicants, owing to her neat and attractive appearance. She was asked the 
same old questions with which she was already familiar. 
"What can you do? Have you ever worked in a retail store before? Are you 
experienced?" 
At The Fair, See and Company's, and all the great stores it was much the 
same. It was the dull season, she might come in a little later, possibly they 
would like to have her. 
When she arrived at the house at the end of the day, weary and 
disheartened, she discovered that Drouet had been there. His umbrella and 

---

light overcoat were gone. She thought she missed other things, but could 
not be sure. Everything had not been taken. 
So his going was crystallising into staying. What was she to do now? 
Evidently she would be facing the world in the same old way within a day or 
two. Her clothes would get poor. She put her two hands together in her 
customary expressive way and pressed her fingers. Large tears gathered in 
her eyes and broke hot across her cheeks. She was alone, very much alone. 
Drouet really had called, but it was with a very different mind from that 
which Carrie had imagined. He expected to find her, to justify his return by 
claiming that he came to get the remaining portion of his wardrobe, and 
before he got away again to patch up a peace. 
Accordingly, when he arrived, he was disappointed to find Carrie out. He 
trifled about, hoping that she was somewhere in the neighbourhood and 
would soon return. He constantly listened, expecting to hear her foot on the 
stair. 
When he did so, it was his intention to make believe that he had just come 
in and was disturbed at being caught. Then he would explain his need of his 
clothes and find out how things stood. 
Wait as he did, however, Carrie did not come. From pottering around among 
the drawers, in momentary expectation of her arrival, he changed to looking 
out of the window, and from that to resting himself in the rocking-chair. Still 
no Carrie. He began to grow restless and lit a cigar. After that he walked the 
floor. Then he looked out of the window and saw clouds gathering. He 
remembered an appointment at three. He began to think that it would be 
useless to wait, and got hold of his umbrella and light coat, intending to 
take these things, any way. It would scare her, he hoped. To-morrow he 
would come back for the others. He would find out how things stood. 
As he started to go he felt truly sorry that he had missed her. There was a 
little picture of her on the wall, showing her arrayed in the little jacket he 
had first bought her—her face a little more wistful than he had seen it lately. 
He was really touched by it, and looked into the eyes of it with a rather rare 
feeling for him. 
"You didn't do me right, Cad," he said, as if he were addressing her in the 
flesh. 
Then he went to the door, took a good look around, and went out.