Next day Esther was taken out of bed. She spent part of the afternoon sitting in an easy-chair, and Mrs. Jones came to see her. The little old woman seemed like one whom she had known always, and Esther told her about her mother's death and the departure of her family for Australia. Perhaps a week lay between her and the beginning of the struggle which she dreaded. She had been told that they did not usually keep anyone in the hospital more than a fortnight. Three days after Mrs. Jones' visit the matron came into their room hurriedly. "I'm very sorry," she said, "but a number of new patients are expected; there's nothing for it but to get rid of you. It is a pity, for I can see you are both very weak." "What, me too?" said the woman in the other bed. "I can hardly stand; I tried just now to get across the room." "I'm very sorry, but we've new patients coming, and there's all our spring cleaning. Have you any place to go to?" "No place except a lodging," said Esther; "and I have only two pounds five now." "What's the use in taking us at all if you fling us out on the street when we can hardly walk?" said the other woman. "I wish I had gone and drowned myself. I was very near doing it. If I had it would be all over now for me and the poor baby." "I'm used to all this ingratitude," said the matron. "You have got through your confinement very comfortably, and your baby is quite healthy; I hope you'll try and keep it so. Have you any money?" "Only four-and-sixpence." "Have you got any friends to whom you can go?" "No." "Then you'll have to apply for admission to the workhouse." The woman made no answer, and at that moment two sisters came and forcibly began to dress her. She fell back from time to time in their arms, almost fainting. "Lord, what a job!" said one sister; "she's just like so much lead in one's arms. But if we listened to them we should have them loafing here over a month more." Esther did not require much assistance, and the sister said, "Oh, you are as strong as they make 'em; you might have gone two days ago." "You're no better than brutes," Esther muttered. Then, turning to the matron, she said, "You promised to get me a situation as wet-nurse." "Yes, so I did, but the lady who I intended to recommend you to wrote this morning to say that she had suited herself." "But do you think you could get me a situation as wet-nurse?" said the other woman; "it would save me from going to the workhouse." "I really don't know what to do with you all; you all want to stop in the hospital at least a month, eating and drinking the best of everything, and then you want situations as wet-nurses at a pound a week." "But," said Esther, indignantly, "I never should have given my sister two pounds if you had not told me you could get me the situation."