The next day she got up early, and dressed and bonneted
herself with twitching fingers. She waited till the weak-eyed
child appeared, and having laid on her minute instructions as to
the care of the shop, she slipped out into the street. It had
occurred to her in one of the weary watches of the previous night
that she might go to Tiffany's and make enquiries about Ramy's
past. Possibly in that way she might obtain some information that
would suggest a new way of reaching Evelina. She was guiltily
aware that Mrs. Hawkins and Miss Mellins would be angry with her
for venturing out of doors, but she knew she should never feel any
better till she had news of Evelina.

The morning air was sharp, and as she turned to face the wind
she felt so weak and unsteady that she wondered if she should ever
get as far as Union Square; but by walking very slowly, and
standing still now and then when she could do so without being
noticed, she found herself at last before the jeweller's great
glass doors.

It was still so early that there were no purchasers in the
shop, and she felt herself the centre of innumerable unemployed
eyes as she moved forward between long lines of show-cases
glittering with diamonds and silver.

She was glancing about in the hope of finding the clock-
department without having to approach one of the impressive
gentlemen who paced the empty aisles, when she attracted the
attention of one of the most impressive of the number.