emember Mary Williams, I'm
sure."

No! David Hughes remembered no Mary Williams at Pen-Morfa.

"You must have seen her, for I know you've called at Thomas Griffiths's
where the parish boarded her?"

"You don't mean the half-witted woman--the poor crazy creature!"

"But I do!" said Mrs. Thomas.

"I have seen her sure enough, but I never thought of learning her name.
And Nest Gwynn has taken her to live with her."

"Yes! I thought I should surprise you. She might have had many a decent
girl for companion. My own niece, her that is an orphan, would have gone
and been thankful. Besides, Mary Williams is a regular savage at times;
John Griffiths says there were days when he used to beat her till she
howled again, and yet she would not do as he told her. Nay, once, he
says, if he had not seen her eyes glare like a wild beast, from under
the shadow of the table where she had taken shelter, and got pretty
quickly out of her way, she would have flown upon him and throttled him.
He gave Nest fair warning of what she must expect, and he thinks some
day she will be found murdered."

David Hughes thought awhile. "How came Nest to take her to live with
her?" asked he.

"Well! Folk say John Griffiths did not give her enough to eat.
Half-wits, they tell me, take more to feed them than others, and Eleanor
Gwynn had given her oat-cake and porridge a time or two, and most likely
spoken kindly to her (you know Eleanor spoke kind to all), so some
months ago, when John Griffiths had been beating her, and keeping her
without food to try and tame her, she ran away and came to Nest's
cottage in the dead of night, all shivering and starved, for she did not
know Eleanor was dead, and thought to meet with kindness from her. I've
no doubt and Nest remembered how her mother used to feed and comfort the
poor idiot, and made her some gruel, and wrapped her up by the fire. And
in the morning when John Griffiths came in search of Mary, he found her
with Nest, and Mary wailed so piteously at the sight of him, that Nest
went to the parish officers and offered to take her to board with her
for the same money they gave to him. John says he was right glad to be
off his bargain."

David Hughes knew there was a kind of remorse which sought relief in the
performance of the most difficult and repugnant tasks. He thought he
could understand how, in her bitter repentance for her conduct toward
her mother, Nest had taken in the first helpless creature th