Brothers of Pity and Other Tales of Beasts and Men

gue, as you know, Sybil Stanley, and I'm doubtful if she was too happy while she lived; bu

udged you fourpence to mend the kettle, and as to broken victuals, there wasn't as much went in at the front

nstead of tramping all day and sleeping heavy after it, as one does when one i

ose. That is Christian's mother, my son's first wife; and it comes back to me that I believes she starved herself to let him have more; for he's a man with a surly temper, like my own, is my son George. He grumbled worse than the

know," sa

etting strong enough to carry the child to be christened, while we had the convenience of a parson near at hand, and I wasn't going to oblige her; but the day after she died, the child was ailing, and thinking it might require

f the clergyman that would do the poor tinkers the kindness of christening a sick

e colour in her face, 'and I'm sure my husband

lue eyes to rest upon, that's accustomed to the delicate sight of her own golden-haired

breaking up into red and white patches over her cheeks. 'Let me carry

s, and what beautiful long eyelashes it had, which went against

ing that the child being likely to die, there was no loss in obliging the gentlefolk, says I, looking down into the book as if I could read, 'Any name the lady thinks suitable for the poor tinker's child;' and says she, the colour coming up into her face, '

ith naming the baby,

hen I thinks of it. But ten pounds-pieces of gold, my daughter, when half-pence were hard to come by-and small expectation

o the clergy-fo

jealousy, which are worse. The young clergywoman had no children, on which score she fretted h

r George say?"

ave got twenty pounds as ten, if I had not been as big a fool as t

t Christian

olitest of words on both sides, and a good deal of religious conversation from

hen-mo

having made her acquaintance in an alehouse; and then, my daught

as happy with

nings alone, sometimes in a wood, as it might be this, where the branches waves and makes a confusion of the shadows-and sometimes on the edge of a Hampshire heath where we camps a good deal, and the light is as slow in dying out of the bottom of the sky as he a

n't sold him-sold your own flesh and blood-for ten golden sovereign

money at back-doors, and living on broken meats I begged into the bargain, and working at nights instead of thinking. I knows a few arts, my daugh

went to see if he wa

ficulty to those who know how to adopt them, and with servant's jewellery and children'

u never

k up my own grandson as if he'd been a stray hen, or a few clothes off the lin

hair back from her eyes. "Miserable! Happy, you

d the old woman, who seemed to pay little

my plans, that he comes to me himself, as I sits on the outskirts of a wood

to you?"

n of eight years old, but bareheaded and barefooted, having

d sleep out of doors all night. When I grow up, I mean to be a wild man on a desert island, and dress in goats' skins. I sha'n't wear hats-I hate them; and I don't like shoes and stockings either. When I can get away from Nurse, I always take them off. I like to feel what I'm walkin

a shortness of speech which you will observe among those who are accustomed to order what they want instead of asking for it. I had hard work to summon voice to reply to him, my daugh

e gentleman,' says I. 'Be pleased to honour the poor tinker-w

me, and please don't give me your stool, for I'd much rather sit on the grass; and, if you please, I should like you to tell me a

ruth, or make up a tale

their minds on anything, they sees the truth in a manner according

e replies. Them that lives out of doors-can they get up

go to bed in

their prayers, with not regu

er sleep

er travel b

e sun rise e

r meet a h

believe

ally tell

a pure Roman, and looked down upon by her people in consequence for marrying my son, who is of mixe

the big house with the blue roof and the green carpet were you born, and in the big house with the blue roof and the green carpet will you die. The big house is delicately perfumed, my noble little gentleman, especially in the month of M

me out of his face till I feels as if the dead had come back; but he had a way with

ar?' says I. 'Are you well inst

, 'and I do compound addition; and I know my Catec

, my little gen

u know the kings and can just give me the name, I know the verses quite well. And I know the Catechism perfectly, but perhap

s as big a blackguard as you could desire to know, and by no means entitled to call himself king, though he gets a lot of money by it, which he spends in the public-house. As regards the other thing, my dear, I ce

ground, and stands up and folds his hands behind his back, and repeats a large number of re

s ill-luck. But his voice was as sweet as a thrush that sits singing in a thorn-bush, and between that and a something in the verses w

g head,' I says. 'Fair be the skies under which y

clear and the wood

turf by the wayside, and the patt

he patteran

somewhat sternly at him. 'The roads

says boldly. 'Pinch m

m set, for I delights to see the nobleness and the endurance of him. So I explains the patteran to him, and shows him ours with two bi

ears the cry of 'Christian!' and I cannot explain to

out things I sees and hears. I sees Christian's mother when I knows she can't be there, and though I believes now that only one person was calling the child,

says, 'Good-bye, old gipsy woman, and thank you very much. I should like to stay with you,' he says, 'but Nurse is

hat repeated his words, or whether it was my own voice I hea

ff shouting, '

afens me, it is

Christian!-C

aughter, for when I wakes, the wood is as st