“Lord, no,” said the girl with a bold stare. “It is only that a young mistress of mine, that died and left a child a week old, bade me see that it was taken care of till her husband came back, who was gone abroad; and I could not be troubled with the little thing, so I took it direct to the Foundling Hospital; and I heard that the father came home soon after, and the people at the hospital could not the least tell which was his child, or whether it was one that had died. I kept out of the way, for I could not have helped them, and should only have got abused; for they say the young man was like one gone mad.” “And was it out of your own head that you took the child there, or who mentioned the hospital to you?” “I knew enough about it myself,” said the woman with a meaning laugh, “to manage the thing without asking anybody. It is a fine place, that Foundling Hospital, as I have good reason to say.” “Pray find the matron,” said Miss Burke to the little spit-cleaner, who was listening with open mouth; “and ask whether Miss Burke can be admitted to see nurse Rudrum. I think,” she continued, when the little girl was out of hearing, “you might choose your conversation better in children’s company.” “And in other people’s company too,” said the other sheller of peas. “I’ve not been used to such a place as this, and I can’t bear it.” “You’ll soon get used to it, Susan, my love,” replied the bold one. “Where do you come from, Susan, and why are you here?” inquired Miss Burke. With many blushes, Susan told that she was a servant out of place, without friends and with no one to give her a character, her last master and mistress having gone off in debt and left her to be suspected of knowing of their frauds, though she had been so ignorant of them as not to have attempted to secure her own wages. It was a hard case, and she did not know how to help herself; but she would submit to any drudgery to get out of the workhouse. “And who are you?” said the lady to the other. “Are you a servant out of place too?” “Yes.” “And without a character?” “O yes, quite,” said the woman with a laugh. “It is well for me that there are some places where characters don’t signify so much as the parson tells us. Susan and I are on the same footing here.” Susan rose in an agony, and by mistake emptied the shelled peas in her lap among the husks. “There! never mind picking them out again,” said the other. “If I take such a trouble, it shall be for my own supper, when the rest are done.” “So you really think,” said Miss Burke, “that you and Susan are on the same footing because you live under the same roof and sit on the same seat? I hope Susan will soon find that you are mistaken.” At this moment appeared Mrs. Wilkes the matron, shouting so that all the yard might hear. “Is it nurse Rudrum you want? She is out of her mind and not in a state for prayer. Gentlefolks are enough to send poor people out of their minds with praying and preaching.”