they
lived very comfortably, and brought up their little ones nicely. A
younger sister of the wife's lived with them, and was a great help in
waiting on the old lady and in serving the customers.

"Rose was such a good-tempered girl, she was a great favourite with all
the young purchasers; she never cared what trouble she took to suit
them, and turned over the whole stock of toys that she might find what
they wanted. All the little poor children in the neighbourhood used to
watch to see when she came into the shop to make their small bargains.
She never grumbled while they picked out the prettiest faces that suited
their fancy among the halfpenny wooden dolls, and she kept a choice
corner of very cheap toys on purpose for all these little ones, who so
rarely knew what the pleasure of buying a toy was. But I think she had
her reward when she saw the little eyes nearly sparkle, and the pale,
thin faces get a little colour, as they trotted happily off with their
few and scanty treasures cuddled up in their old ragged pinafores. We
lay for a long time on the counter with our lid off, to tempt the young
folks who came to the shop, so I had some opportunity to see all the
different customers.

"I suppose my own busy, careful life, with all my tribe of young ones,
has made me understand all these things better, for I remember so much
of this time, while I have forgotten a great deal else. How often I have
seen the richer class of children come in with their governesses or
servants, and just glancing over the toys carelessly, they have selected
what they wanted, and have gone off, with no more than a passing
pleasure with their possessions. And very likely in a fortnight the same
party have returned again, and carried off something else, feeling more
careless than before at the sight of the playthings they had almost
exhausted.

"Different to them, as station and dress could make them, were Rose's
little friends. The golden hair, or dark braids of the little ladies,
and their flower-like faces, set off with their trim hats, and tasteful,
cool, well-made dresses, did not contrast more strongly with the sallow
faces, ragged, short locks, tangled with wind and weather, and the
patched or ragged garments of the poorer children, than did their
manners and wants. These latter little ones were the small evening
audience who flattened their noses against the bright, gas-lighted
window of the gay toy-shop, and who knew all its conte