ight with Lady Tiptoff; and I am sure you will not
object to her being away from you, while she is giving happiness to a
sick mother and a sick child." After a few more words, my Lord left us.
My wife's note only said that Mrs. Stokes would tell me all.

CHAPTER XIII

IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT A GOOD WIFE IS THE BEST DIAMOND A MAN CAN WEAR
IN HIS BOSOM

"Mrs. Titmarsh, ma'am," says Mrs. Stokes, "before I gratify your
curiosity, ma'am, permit me to observe that angels is scarce; and it's
rare to have one, much more two, in a family. Both your son and your
daughter-in-law, ma'am, are of that uncommon sort; they are, now, reely,
ma'am."

My mother said she thanked God for both of us; and Mrs. Stokes
proceeded:--

"When the fu--- when the seminary, ma'am, was concluded this morning,
your poor daughter-in-law was glad to take shelter in my humble parlour,
ma'am; where she wept, and told a thousand stories of the little cherub
that's gone. Heaven bless us! it was here but a month, and no one could
have thought it could have done such a many things in that time. But a
mother's eyes are clear, ma'am; and I had just such another angel, my
dear little Antony, that was born before Jemima, and would have been
twenty-three now were he in this wicked world, ma'am. However, I won't
speak of him, ma'am, but of what took place.

"You must know, ma'am, that Mrs. Titmarsh remained downstairs while Mr.
Samuel was talking with his friend Mr. Hoskins; and the poor thing would
not touch a bit of dinner, though we had it made comfortable; and after
dinner, it was with difficulty I could get her to sup a little drop of
wine-and-water, and dip a toast in it. It was the first morsel that had
passed her lips for many a long hour, ma'am.

"Well, she would not speak, and I thought it best not to interrupt her;
but she sat and looked at my two youngest that were playing on the rug;
and just as Mr. Titmarsh and his friend Gus went out, the boy brought the
newspaper, ma'am,--it always comes from three to four, and I began
a-reading of it. But I couldn't read much, for thinking of poor Mr.
Sam's sad face as he went out, and the sad story he told me about his
money being so low; and every now and then I stopped reading, and bade
Mrs. T. not to take on so; and told her some stories about my dear little
Antony.

"'Ah!' says she, sobbing, and looking at the young ones, 'you have other
children, Mrs. Stokes; but that--that was my onl