"I don't know how you could have gone on helping her," Esther said to Charles when she got inside the bar; and she seemed so pained that out of deference to her feelings the subject was dropped out of the conversation. Esther felt that something shocking had happened. Sarah had deliberately got drunk. She would not have done that unless she had some great trouble on her mind. William, too, was of this opinion. Something serious must have happened. As they went up to their room Esther said-- "It is all the fault of this betting. The neighbourhood is completely ruined. They're losing their 'omes and their furniture, and you'll bear the blame of it." "It do make me so wild to hear you talkin' that way, Esther. People will bet, you can't stop them. I lays fair prices, and they're sure of their money. Yet you says they're losin' their furniture, and that I shall have to bear the blame." When they got to the top of the stairs she said-- "I must go and see how Sarah is." "Where am I? What's happened?... Take that candle out of my eyes.... Oh, my head is that painful." She fell back on the pillow, and Esther thought she had gone to sleep again. But she opened her eyes. "Where am I? ...That's you, Esther?" "Yes. Can't you remember?" "No, I can't. I remember that the 'orse didn't win, but don't remember nothing after.... I got drunk, didn't I? It feels like it." "The 'orse didn't win, and then you took too much. It's very foolish of you to give way." "Give way! Drunk, what matter? I'm done for." "Did you lose much?" "It wasn't what I lost, it was what I took. I gave Bill the plate to pledge; it's all gone, and master and missis coming back tomorrow. Don't talk about it. I got drunk so that I shouldn't think of it." "Oh, Sarah, I didn't think it was as bad as that. You must tell me all about it." "I don't want to think about it. They'll come soon enough to take me away. Besides, I cannot remember nothing now. My mouth's that awful--Give me a drink. Never mind the glass, give me the water-bottle." She drank ravenously, and seemed to recover a little. Esther pressed her to tell her about the pledged plate. "You know that I'm your friend. You'd better tell me. I want to help you out of this scrape." "No one can help me now, I'm done for. Let them come and take me. I'll go with them. I shan't say nothing." "How much is it in for? Don't cry like that," Esther said, and she took out her handkerchief and wiped Sarah's eyes. "How much is it in for? Perhaps I can get my husband to lend me the money to get it out." "It's no use trying to help me.... Esther, I can't talk about it now; I shall go mad if I do." "Tell me how much you got on it." "Thirty pounds." It took a long time to undress her. Every now and then she made an effort, and another article of clothing was got off. When Esther returned to her room William was asleep, and Esther took him by the shoulder.