I stepped inside; and inquired of a stout, red-haired woman the whereabouts of a Mrs Stone, who formerly occupied the premises. The woman had never heard of such a person! It suddenly occurred to me--and I heaved a sigh at the recollection-- that my mother's name was not _Stone_, but that she was _Mrs Leary_. I renewed my inquiry, substituting the latter name. "Mistress Leary?" said the vulgar-looking hag before me, "lift here five year ago." The vendor of cabbages did not know where Mrs Leary had gone. Neither did I; and this knowledge, or rather absence of knowledge, produced within me a train of reflections that were new and peculiar. I turned out of the house, and walked mechanically up the street. A familiar name met my half-vacant gaze. It was painted on a sign, over the door of a cheese-monger's shop--Michael Brady. I remembered that Mrs Brady, the wife of the man whose name I saw, was the intimate acquaintance and friend of my mother. Perhaps, I might learn something from her; but what, I almost feared to ascertain. I went into the shop, and found Mrs Brady seated among her cheeses. She did not look a day older than when I last saw her. When asked, if she remembered ever having seen me before, she gazed at me for some time, and made answer in the negative. I was not astonished at her reply. I could easily understand her stupidity; my appearance must have greatly altered since she had seen me last. "Do you remember the name of Rowland Stone?" I asked. "What! the little Rolling Stone?" she exclaimed, gazing at me again. "I do believe you are," said she, "Now when I look at you, I can see it is. How you have changed!" "What has become of my mother?" I cried out, too impatient to listen longer to her exclamatory reflections. "Poor woman!" answered Mrs Brady, "that's what I have wished to know for many years." I was called upon to exercise the virtue of patience--while trying to obtain from Mrs Brady what information she could give concerning my family. With much time spent and many questions put, I obtained from her the following particulars: After my departure, Mr Leary became very dissipated, and used to get drunk every day. Whenever he sold anything out of the shop, he would go to a public-house, and stay there until the money obtained for the article was spent. He would then return, abuse my mother, beat the children, take something else out of the shop; and pawn it for more money to spend in drink or dissipation. This game he had continued, until there was nothing left in the establishment that Mr Leary could sell for a shilling.