"As I heard afterwards, it happened that Mr. Stringer had been sent for out, and was not come back; and when they ran screeching and screaming to the shop, crying a child was burnt in the court hard by, and Mr. Stringer was wanted, as there was no one to go but a little mite of a shop-boy--for Mr. Stringer had but just begun business--what does she do, but catches up a bottle of stuff for burns, claps her bonnet over her pretty white rose, throws her shawl on, and, dressed in her beautiful new wedding-gown, comes to this horrid den of dirt and wickedness. She did me up as best she could, and then seeing my poor father crying too, and all the people standing round, and yet not a word to comfort him, she said, very gently and kindly, to him,-- "'Pray don't grieve so: she will be better by-and-by, poor dear. Don't groan so badly, poor child! You are very sorry for her, poor man--but don't take on so.' "But the more she spoke in this kind way, all the more he cried, till at last he seemed as if he could contain himself no longer, and he groaned, and almost roared out. "'Are you the father?' said the young lady. 'Where is the mother?' "'Oh! here--here--here--my precious child, my sweet baby!' cried my poor mother--and then went on, 'It was all of you--you big brute--you--you pushed your own baby into the red-hot flames, as you were atrying to get at me!--yes, my baby--my poor--' "'Don't speak so loud, good woman,' said the young lady, gently. 'Lay the child upon the bed,' turning round--'Bless me!--why, there is not a bed!' "'We are very poor people, ma'am,' a woman began; 'not a penny to bless ourselves with. If you'd please to--' "I remember my father's voice to this day-- "'Silence!' he called out, in such a passion, 'would you beg money from the lady to spend in more gin? Give 'em nothing, ma'am--give none of us nothing--only tell me what's to be done to save the poor little thing's life.' "She hesitated, turned, and looked round the miserable apartment. Too true, there was not an apology for a bed; there was not even clean straw. "'Take her up in your arms,' said she to my father, 'and follow me.' And she stooped and picked up her bonnet, and gathered her great shawl around her, and stepped out into the rainy, sleety, windy night; and my father--for some poor creature had lent an old shawl to throw over me--took me and carried me after her: and a turn of the alley which led into the court, brought us out into the street, where the apothecary's shop stood. I was carried through, and up two pair of stairs, and into a little mite of a room--but all so clean and nice--and laid, oh! in such a delicious bed--and oh! it felt so comfortable--it soothed me, like--and I fell fast asleep." The two girls were silent for some time. Ella spoke first. "What a good woman!" was the remark she made; "but was she only an apothecary's wife," she went on; "and was her name Stringer? What a horrid ugly name! Are you sure it was Stringer?"