t
humble consciousness of her own babyhood and want of strength, even
in the matter of lifting and carrying; through how much weariness
and hopelessness, and how many secret tears; she drudged on, until
recognised as useful, even indispensable. That time came. She took the
place of eldest of the three, in all things but precedence; was the
head of the fallen family; and bore, in her own heart, its anxieties and
shames.

At thirteen, she could read and keep accounts, that is, could put down
in words and figures how much the bare necessaries that they wanted
would cost, and how much less they had to buy them with. She had been,
by snatches of a few weeks at a time, to an evening school outside,
and got her sister and brother sent to day-schools by desultory starts,
during three or four years. There was no instruction for any of them at
home; but she knew well--no one better--that a man so broken as to be
the Father of the Marshalsea, could be no father to his own children.

To these scanty means of improvement, she added another of her own
contriving. Once, among the heterogeneous crowd of inmates there
appeared a dancing-master. Her sister had a great desire to learn the
dancing-master's art, and seemed to have a taste that way. At thirteen
years old, the Child of the Marshalsea presented herself to the
dancing-master, with a little bag in her hand, and preferred her humble
petition.

'If you please, I was born here, sir.'

'Oh! You are the young lady, are you?' said the dancing-master,
surveying the small figure and uplifted face.

'Yes, sir.'

'And what can I do for you?' said the dancing-master.

'Nothing for me, sir, thank you,' anxiously undrawing the strings of
the little bag; 'but if, while you stay here, you could be so kind as to
teach my sister cheap--'

'My child, I'll teach her for nothing,' said the dancing-master,
shutting up the bag. He was as good-natured a dancing-master as ever
danced to the Insolvent Court, and he kept his word. The sister was so
apt a pupil, and the dancing-master had such abundant leisure to bestow
upon her (for it took him a matter of ten weeks to set to his creditors,
lead off, turn the Commissioners, and right and left back to his
professional pursuits), that wonderful progress was made. Indeed the
dancing-master was so proud of it, and so wishful to display it before
he left to a few select friends among the collegians, that at six
o'clock on a certain fine morning, a