The hours passed, their task made progress, and at 11.30 they finished; but the factory was far away--nearly an hour's ride on the tram-car. Still, the younger one hurried with her bundle, only to find on arriving that the factory was closed, and that no work would be taken in till Tuesday morning. There was the rent to pay, the poor stock of provisions to be obtained, some little comfort to be got for the father, who had watched their brave but tragic struggle, and no money, after all. My wife set food before them, and they made a pitiful pretence of eating. Their hearts were too full, though undoubtedly their stomachs were empty. When I put a sovereign into the tremulous hand of the elder woman, they both broke down, and went away weeping. A few weeks later the father died, and mother and daughter were left to comfort and care for each other. Years have passed, and they still live and work together. Rising early and retiring late, they manage to "live." But the mother is getting feeble; her eyesight and powers for work are decaying. Never murmuring or repining, the daughter bears the brunt of the battle. She works, whilst her mother goes to and from the factory. And now--in June, 1908--another catastrophe has befallen them; for the feeble old woman has slipped and fallen from the tram-car, and lies at home with a broken arm and other injuries; but the daughter works for both. Sometimes my experiences of women who have "come down" have been far more unpleasant, as the following instance may serve to show: I received a letter from a titled lady asking me to inquire into the case of two sisters who had repeatedly appealed to her for help, and to whose appeal she had several times responded. This lady recognized the futility of sending a few pounds at intervals to two elderly women, of whom she knew nothing excepting that their father had once built a house for her. She knew, too, that their father had been in a large way of business, employing five hundred men at one time. Her ladyship also forwarded to me a letter she had received from the sisters, and asked me to find out what could be done for them, promising that if I could suggest anything reasonable, she would send me the necessary funds. Their letter was of the usual begging-letter style, telling of their own wrongs and poverty, and pleading for help on account of their dear lamented father.