"You must have something by you, dear; one never knows how it is going to turn out; even I who have been through it do feel that nervous. I looks round the kitchen when I'm taken with the pains, and I says, 'I may never see this room again.'" The words were said in an undertone to Esther, and the shop-woman turned to get down the ready-made things which Mrs. Saunders had asked to see. "Here," said the shopwoman, "is the gown, longcloth, one-and-sixpence; here is the flannel, one-and-sixpence; and here is the little shirt, sixpence." "You must have these to go on with, dear, and if the baby lives you'll want another set." "Oh, mother, of course he'll live; why shouldn't he?" Even the shopwoman smiled, and Mrs. Saunders, addressing the shopwoman, said-- "Them that knows nothing about it is allus full of 'ope." The shopwoman raised her eyes, sighed, and inquired sympathetically if this was the young lady's first confinement. Mrs. Saunders nodded and sighed, and then the shopwoman asked Mrs. Saunders if she required any baby clothes. Mrs. Saunders said she had all she required. The parcel was made up, and they were preparing to leave, when Esther said-- "I may as well buy the material and make another set--it will give me something to do in the afternoons. I think I should like to make them." "We have some first-rate longcloth at sixpence-half-penny a yard." "You might take three yards, Esther; if anything should happen to yer bairn it will always come in useful. And you had better take three yards of flannel. How much is yer flannel?" "We have some excellent flannel," said the woman, lifting down a long, heavy package in dull yellow paper; "this is ten-pence a yard. You will want a finer longcloth for the little shirts."