lt to distinguish objects through the steam, and Waymark,
making his way in, stumbled and almost fell over an open box. From the
box at once proceeded a miserable little wail, broken by as terrible a
cough as a child could be afflicted with; and Waymark then perceived
that the box was being used as a cradle, in which lay a baby gasping in
the agonies of some throat disease, whilst drops from the wet clothing
trickled on to its face.

On leaving this house, they entered Elm Court. Here, sitting on the
doorstep of the first house, was a child of apparently nine or ten, and
seemingly a girl, though the nondescript attire might have concealed
either sex, and the face was absolutely sexless in its savagery. Her
hair was cut short, and round her neck was a bit of steel chain,
fastened with string. On seeing the two approach, she sprang up, and
disappeared with a bound into the house.

"That's the most infernal little devil in all London, I do believe,"
said Mr. Woodstock, as they began to ascend the stairs. "Her mother
owes two weeks, and if she don't pay something to-day, I'll have her
out. She'll be shamming illness, you'll see. The child ran up to
prepare her."

The room in question was at the top of the house. It proved to be quite
bare of furniture. On a bundle of straw in one corner was lying a
woman, to all appearances _in extremis_. She lay looking up to the
ceiling, her face distorted into the most ghastly anguish, her lips
foaming; her whole frame shivered incessantly.

"Ha, I thought so," exclaimed Abraham as he entered. "Are you going to
pay anything this week?"

The woman seemed to be unconscious.

"Have you got the rent?" asked Mr. Woodstock, turning to the child, who
had crouched down in another corner.

"No, we ain't," was the reply, with a terribly fierce glare from eyes
which rather seemed to have looked on ninety years than nine.

"Then out you go! Come, you, get up now; d' you hear? Very well; come
along, Waymark; you take hold of that foot, and I'll take this. Now,
drag her out on to the landing."

They dragged her about half-way to the door, when suddenly Waymark felt
the foot he had hold of withdrawn from his grasp, and at once the woman
sprang upright. Then she fell on him, tooth and nail, screaming like
some evil beast. Had not Abraham forthwith come to the rescue, he would
have been seriously torn about the face, but just in time the woman's
arms were seized in a giant grip, and she was fl