"But the injury to the loser is far greater in the one case than in the other." "To set that off, however, the child is more easily discovered. Besides, the false appetite grows with indulgence; whereas one child would still the natural one." "Then you would allow her to go on stealing child after child, until she succeeded in keeping one," said my father, laughing. "I dismissed her with the warning, that, if ever she did so again, this would be brought up against her, and she would have the severest punishment the law could inflict. It may be right to pass a first offence, and wrong to pass a second. I tried to make her measure the injury done to the mother, by her own sorrow at losing the child; and I think not without effect. At all events, it was some years ago, and I have not heard of her again." Now came in the benefit of the kindness Miss Clare had shown the woman. I doubt if any one else could have got the truth from her. Even she found it difficult; for to tell her that if she was Theo's mother she should not be punished, might be only to tempt her to lie. All Miss Clare could do was to assure her of the kindness of every one concerned, and to urge her to disclose her reasons for doing such a grievous wrong as steal another woman's child. "They stole my child," she blurted out at last, when the cruelty of the action was pressed upon her. "Oh, no!" said Miss Clare: "you left her to die in the cold." "No, no!" she cried. "I wanted somebody to hear her, and take her in. I wasn't far off, and was just going to take her again, when I saw a light, and heard them searching for her. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" "Then how can you say they stole her? You would have had no child at all, but for them. She was nearly dead when they found her. And in return you go and steal their grandchild!" "They took her from me afterwards. They wouldn't let me have my own flesh and blood. I wanted to let them know what it was to have _their_ child taken from them." "How could they tell she was your child, when you stole her away like a thief? It might, for any thing they knew, be some other woman stealing her, as you stole theirs the other day? What would have become of you if it had been so?" To this reasoning she made no answer. "I want my child; I want my child," she moaned. Then breaking out--"I shall kill myself if I don't get my child!" she cried. "Oh, lady, you don't know what it is to have a child and not have her! I shall kill myself if they don't give me her back. They can't say I did their child any harm. I was as good to her as if she had been my own." "They know that quite well, and don't want to punish you. Would you like to see your child?" She clasped her hands above her head, fell on her knees at Miss Clare's feet, and looked up in her face without uttering a word. "I will speak to Mr. Walton," said Miss Clare; and left her. The next morning she was discharged, at the request of my husband, who brought her home with him.