been careful and tender to me
in my lying in, as if I had been her own child. I told her I owned she
had. 'Well, my dear,' says she, 'and when you are gone, what are you
to me? And what would it be to me if you were to be hanged? Do you
think there are not women who, as it is their trade and they get their
bread by it, value themselves upon their being as careful of children
as their own mothers can be, and understand it rather better? Yes,
yes, child,' says she, 'fear it not; how were we nursed ourselves? Are
you sure you was nursed up by your own mother? and yet you look fat and
fair, child,' says the old beldam; and with that she stroked me over
the face. 'Never be concerned, child,' says she, going on in her
drolling way; 'I have no murderers about me; I employ the best and the
honestest nurses that can be had, and have as few children miscarry
under their hands as there would if they were all nursed by mothers; we
want neither care nor skill.'

She touched me to the quick when she asked if I was sure that I was
nursed by my own mother; on the contrary I was sure I was not; and I
trembled, and looked pale at the very expression. 'Sure,' said I to
myself, 'this creature cannot be a witch, or have any conversation with
a spirit, that can inform her what was done with me before I was able
to know it myself'; and I looked at her as if I had been frightened;
but reflecting that it could not be possible for her to know anything
about me, that disorder went off, and I began to be easy, but it was
not presently.

She perceived the disorder I was in, but did not know the meaning of
it; so she ran on in her wild talk upon the weakness of my supposing
that children were murdered because they were not all nursed by the
mother, and to persuade me that the children she disposed of were as
well used as if the mothers had the nursing of them themselves.

'It may be true, mother,' says I, 'for aught I know, but my doubts are
very strongly grounded indeed.' 'Come, then,' says she, 'let's hear
some of them.' 'Why, first,' says I, 'you give a piece of money to
these people to take the child off the parent's hands, and to take care
of it as long as it lives. Now we know, mother,' said I, 'that those
are poor people, and their gain consists in being quit of the charge as
soon as they can; how can I doubt but that, as it is best for them to
have the child die, they are not over solicitous about life?'

'This is all vapours