shriek that rang clear and soul-piercing above the roar and thunder of the city's life at high tide. Above the rumble of car, the rattle of wagon, the jar of machinery, the tramp and murmur of millions the awful cry pierced the sky.
Kate put her hand on Gordon's arm and pressed her red lips together, shivering. "O dear! O dear! what a cry! I can't go any closer. I'll wait for you out at the edge of the crowd."
He pushed into the throng, lifted the woman, spoke a few words of tenderness to her, and told her he would call at her home later.
As he was about to leave, a tall, delicate man working among the ruins reeled and sank in a faint. When he revived, he quit his job and went home without a word.
"What was the matter with that man?" Gordon asked the foreman of the wrecking company.
"Starved, to tell you the truth. He came here yesterday and begged for a job. He looked so pale and sick I couldn't refuse him. He fainted the first hour and went home. He came back this morning and begged me to try him again. I did, but you see he is too weak. He told me his family was starving."
He joined Kate and they crossed the City Hall Square and walked down Centre Street to the Tombs prison.
She was pale and quiet, glancing at him now and then.
