Littlebourne Lock

. Come in, miss,"

r nose was sharp, and her clothing was all of a soft grayish-brown. And she was as quick and br

ff to school, I have something important to say to you, and only ten m

ng they all went off ex

s. Rowles; "I want to speak to

could carry baby safely downstairs, and sit on th

ead against the wall; I always

not to do so," p

n the side away from the wall

n a doubtful voice; "but tha

owles laid the baby on Juliet's bony right arm, and both ch

utton, "who may th

ss; and she brought us a real good dinne

here was Mary Rowles, parlour-maid at the West-end, costing her mistress at the rate of fifty pounds a year, aged twenty-one. Because they could keep themselves comfortably they thought they could keep ten children on Thomas's wages.

thinking that she ought to say somet

" murmured M

t I have is only enough to keep myself, so I had bet

. Mitchell, getting to

round to me through a friend. But you working-people, you never look, and you always leap, and when you have got your ten children and nothing to feed them on, then you th

ched away; the oth

the table. "Now, listen to a plan I have in my head. You know, Mrs. Mitchell, what we West-end ladies have to pay for our mantles, even the plai

" and Mrs. Mitche

much

of the women only get

ould not beli

he materials, and pay you for the work just the difference between the

won't do," and Mrs. Mitc

y n

and see hundreds of different mantles

d for the stuff; three yards makes twenty-four shillings; then some braid or something of the sort, say six yards at two shillings; that is twelve; twenty-four and twelve are thirty-six; a few buttons and sundries, say five shi

t it won't do. There are too many of us women

people who actually do the work. I don't know how we shall succeed, but we will make an effort, and we will keep 'pegging away' until we get something done. And, one word more, Mrs. Mitchell; do no

abouts. Our clergyman says he has nine thousand people in his parish, all

lence. "Why, with us there are laundresses that keep servants!

dreadful, ravenous London; it eats up men, women, and child

Mrs. Rowles asked, "Wh

men too, have districts in the East-end, because there are no ladies and gen

for a few minutes, while

"I shall soon be much better. I feel I am going to be

om; it is rude," w

the better, a tur

water, room to move about! Where the rain makes the trees clean, instead of making the streets dirty, like it does

ndow. But these attics were not the whole size of the house, and the window was

er was such a girl for getting into scrapes! She s

h Mrs. Mitchell wen

rels, accidents, and miseries of a great city. Mrs. Rowles ran swiftly down the sloppy stairs to the o

r?" asked Mrs. Rowles,

was Julie

eard lou

hen Miss Sutton

ellow! How did

off my lap at the very moment that

o make sure that he was not inju

ain, without there being any outside ma

don't care a

t at all pretty

nt it to

not kind

to be kind

e will not love you if

t people t

don't you want to help your sick father and your hard-worki

d rice puddings like we used to have when there was not so many of us; an

uld like to

hey worrit me, a

child, p

ircase with baby in her arms, and Juliet silently following as she went. Mrs. Rowles framed short, unworded prayer

aby into his

nk your trade is a healthy one? My Ned, he always says that i

s sharp rejoinder, "does you

ing through the lock often give

ers. If the public would be content with evenin

n a short laugh "Do you know, I never thou

s thoughtless as

d baby chuckled as if he too thought his aunt's ignorance of the wor

her bonnet-strings, and to pul

ase," she said. "And, Thomas,-Mary,-I w

ch you can take

d me one of y

y!" cried Mary, throwing aside the man

be rather afraid of him.

Mrs. Mitchel

nd careless that I'm no good to anybody. And I don't want to learn, and I do

ference on it. Was it possible that poverty had pinched her child's h

t was full of soft

omise mutton-chops, but there will be beans

le Amy can. Juliet, my child, shall I let you go?" and Mrs. Mitchell clasped the girl in her a

es for going on a v

of my girl's; they

all so high and mighty and so well-to-do in the world, they can't turn their eyes down so low as me and mine. B

on one arm and her niece hanging on the other; and they clambered into omnibuses, rushed over crossings and under horses' heads, ran full tilt against old gentlemen, and caught themselves on the