e air is good, and the health of the children will be
better. It is quite like having a home of our own again. Now that
Crosswell & Wright have raised my wages, we shall be able to make both
ends meet this winter,--you'll see!"

"Yes, dear, I'm sure we shall," Mrs. Farrell forced herself to respond,
though her tone did not express the absolute conviction which the words
implied. But Bernard was in great spirits, and for his sake she assumed
a cheerfulness which she was far from feeling, as she bade him good-bye,
and from the window watched him hasten away to his work.

"God bless his brave heart!" she murmured. "He is a good boy and
deserves to succeed. It worries me that he has such a burden upon his
young shoulders; but Father Hamill says this will only keep him steady,
and will do him no harm if he does not overtax his strength. What a
shabby, contracted house this is! Well, I must try to make it as bright
and pleasant as possible. I wish the girls were older and able to earn a
trifle; every penny helps nowadays. Mary, indeed, might find a place to
run errands for a dressmaker, or something of the kind; but I can not
bear to think of her going around alone down town, becoming pert and
forward. Besides, she is so bright and smart that it seems a pity to
interfere with her studies. She will need all the advantages she can
get, poor child!"

With a sigh the mother returned to her duties, prepared breakfast for the
other children and in the course of an hour hurried them off to school.
There were three: Mary, just twelve years old; Lizzie, ten; and Jack, who
had attained the precocious and mischief-loving age of seven. Bernard
was eighteen, and the head of the family,--a fact which Mrs. Farrell
strove to impress upon the minds of the younger members, as entitling him
to special respect and affection. He was also the principal
bread-winner, and had ten dollars a week, which was considered a fine
beginning for one so young. Still, it was not a great deal for them all
to rely on, and his mother endeavored to eke out their scanty livelihood
by taking sewing, and in various other ways.

Life had not always been such a struggle for the Farrells. Before the
death of the husband and father they had been in good circumstances. Mr.
Farrell held for years a responsible position as book-keeper and
accountant in one of the largest mercantile establishments of the city.
He had a fair salary, which enabled him to sup