u'lt not soft sooap me so eaasy," replied
John, gruffly; but looking at her again, he said: "What's the maatter
wi' thee noo?"

"See thee, lad," and the woman uncovered her apron, and revealed a
sickening sight; a right hand, blackened, shrivelled, and quivering with
the torture of the fiery ordeal through which it had been made to pass.

Strong man though he was, John Ibbetson staggered back in horror.

"Lass," gasped he, with his eyes yet riveted, spell-bound, on the
hideous spectacle; "lass, what hast thee done wi' t' poor haand?"

"Fetch yond Bible from t' shelf, lad, and read t' neanth chaapter o'
Maark, and t' forty-third verse."

John obeyed, and read aloud the verse which had been the subject of his
wife's meditations a few Sabbath evenings before.

"Noo, lad, aw'll tell thee all aboot it. Thee'd just goon ter woork
yester morn, when Emma Ward stepped in, and 'Lass,' she said, 'thee mun
coom oop t' hill wi' me, for Jim Green's little un's deein', and t'
mother's well nigh craazed;' thee knows aw couldn't be unneeboorloike,
so aw good, and gi'ed a helpin' haand, and they o'er persuaded me ter
tak' a glass o' waarm speerit to keep t' cold oot, and I set my faace
against it at first, but it looked so temptin', at aw stretched oot t'
reet haand and finished glaas cleean off, and coomin' hoom, deevil, he
saaid: 'thee ud best feenish oop at t' ale-hoose,' and aw were paarched
for more o' cursed stoof, and t' knows t' rest; and coom t' morn, aw
saaid, 'Aw'll cut un off, t' reet haand 'at took glaass, for aw'll goo
inter t' kingdom maimed sooner aw'll goo to yond plaace o' daarkness wi'
my two haands,' and aw'd gotten t' axe ter chop un off, when aw thowt o'
thee and the childer, and how thee and them 'ud miss t' haand, and aw
coomd baack ter kitchen, and said: 'Aw'll gi'en a good lesson, anyhow;
aw'll gi'en a taaste o' t' fire as'll mind un o' t' fire 'at burns for
aye', and aw put un in and held un in, and thee 'lt ha'e ter see ter
thy own meals coom a while, and if t' nasty thing offends again aw'll
cut un off, and thee'lt ha' ter do t' best thee can for thysen, for
aw've promised to mind all t' Book says;" and Sarah Ann turned the apron
carefully over the poor maimed hand, and rocked herself to and fro, in
her cruel pain.

"Thee's a braave lass; and if thou'rt gooin' ter turn t' faace from t'
drink agaain, aw'll hould on ter thee, and help thee; but thee'st been
reeadin' t' Bible oopside doon, aw reeckon; aw