"Except that he has never shown himself to be anything but a perfect
gentleman," added his sister.

"Amy," said Mrs. Goodrich, a note of warning in her voice.

"I don't care, mamma, it's the truth. What if he _was_ out of money
and hungry and ragged when he came to town? He was willing to work,
and Mr. Udell says that he is a splendid workman, and--" But her father
interrupted her. "Well, what of it? No one knows anything about his
family or how he lived before he came here. He's only a tramp, and you
can't make anything else out of him. Some folks are never satisfied
unless they are trying to make gentlemen out of gutter snipes. If we
let such fellows get a foothold, there won't be any respectable society
after a while; it will be all stable boys and boot-blacks."

Later, when the visitors had said good-night and Amy and her mother
had entered the house, Frank said, "Father, I'll tell you one thing
about that man Falkner, you've got to watch him."

"What do you mean?" asked Adam.

"I mean Amy," replied the other, moving his chair nearer the old
gentleman and speaking in a guarded tone. "He takes every chance he
can to talk with her, and she is altogether too willing to listen."

"Pshaw," grunted the older man, "she never sees him."

"That's where you are mistaken, father. They met first last spring in
the printing office; and afterwards, when he had gotten in with that