after hearing this unnatural message, was entirely deprived of reason, and wanted us to kill her, but we could not find it, in our hearts to do it, though it would have been a charity to have put her out of her misery... So we took her back to the first inn we could find, and got a doctor for her; but he said nothing at all could be done for her, and, unlike most of the English doctors, said he would not pick our pockets, by sending her medicine, for it was impossible she could live many days.

We thought maester wouldn't be angry if we stayed with her and saw her decently buried.

I declare it made my poor heart

CHAP. XIV.

"Parent of Virtue! if thine ear,
Attend not now to Sorrow's cry,
If now the pity streaming tear,
Should haply on thy Cheek be dry,

Indulge my votive strain, O sweet Humanity."

After an oppressively hot day the inviting coolness of the evening tempted

the ladies to take a ramble as far as an adjoining village.

They insensibly extended their walk farther than they intended, when on a sudden they observed the sky become very dark, the heavy clouds entirely ob

scured the beauty of the sun which was just setting, and the whole face of the atmosphere announced the approach of a thunderstorm.

They accordingly hastened to the nearest shelter and entered a poor cottage, they were greatly shocked at the miserable scene which presented itself; in one corner of the room on a wretched bed lay the emaciated corpse of a man,' whom the poor woman (who was in a state of the greatest distress) said was her husband," he died last night ladies, having been out of work for thirteen weeks, we were reduced to the severest poverty, my poor children every day, crying for bread, did but add to our mi-t sery, our cruel hard-hearted landlord

threatened to seize for our rent, which
Heaven knows we were not able to pay,

though we deprived ourselves of every
comfort, and only admitted the bare
necessaries of life. Our eldest girl
Mary who is now about seventeen, got
into a service in the neighbourhood,
but as she was quite an under servant
her wages were so low that she could
not even make a decent appearance, for
the good girl would from time to time
bring us a little money which distressed
her very
much.

The family she was with refused to keep her any longer; in consequence of this and many other calamities my poor dear husband fell ill, and as we could neither afford to pay for me

dicine nor procure that nourishment which is necessary for sick people, he soon fell a victim to poverty and has left me and four children with not one farthing to support us.

Last night just as he had breathed his last, and we were all on our knees at his bedside, in came our landlord and though he witnessed so melancholy a scene, which would have moved a heart of stone, he still remained inflexible, and said he would to-morrow morning send for the small remains of our furniture, even the bed on which my dear Belson's corpse lays."

Mrs. Belson was here obliged to stop to give vent to her feelings.