se to find his mother. They found her dressed in ragged,
filthy finery, standing at the door, where she passed most of her
time, quarreling with half a dozen women as idle and dirty as
herself. When she saw Tommy so neat and well-dressed, she fell a
crying for joy. She said "it put her in mind of old times, for Tommy
always used to be dressed like a gentleman." "So much the worse,"
said Mr. Stock; "if you had not begun by making him look like a
gentleman, you needed not have ended by making him look like a
beggar." "Oh Jem!" said she (for though it was four years since she
had seen him she soon recollected him), "fine times for you! Set a
beggar on horseback--you know the proverb. I shall beat Tommy well
for finding you out and exposing me to you."

Instead of entering into a dispute with this bad woman, or praising
himself at her expense; instead of putting her in mind of her past
ill behavior to him, or reproaching her with the bad use she had
made of her prosperity, he mildly said to her, "Mrs. Williams I am
sorry for your misfortunes; I am come to relieve you of part of your
burden. I will take Tommy off your hands. I will give him a year's
board and schooling, and by that time I shall see what he is fit
for. I will promise nothing, but if the boy turns out well, I will
never forsake him. I shall make but one bargain with you, which is,
that he must not come to this place to hear all this railing and
swearing, nor shall he keep company with these pilfering, idle
children. You are welcome to go and see him when you please, but
here he must not come."

The foolish woman burst out a crying, saying, "she should lose her
poor dear Tommy forever. Mr. Stock might give _her_ the money he
intended to pay at the school, for nobody could do so well by him,
as his own mother." The truth was, she wanted to get these new
clothes into her clutches, which would have been pawned at the
dramshop before the week was out. This Mr. Stock well knew. From
crying she fell to scolding and swearing. She told him he was an
unnatural wretch, that wanted to make a child despise his own mother
because she was poor. She even went so far as to say she would not
part from him; she said she hated your godly people, they had no
bowels of compassion, but tried to set men, women, and children
against their own flesh and blood.

Mr. Stock now almost lost his patience, and for one moment a thought
came across him, to strip the boy, carry back the clo