was his mother, not if she had sworn to
it with her dying breath."

Mrs. Dickson's belief was not without influence upon the boy. When
he was old enough to understand, she told him the circumstances of
his having been found at the workhouse door, and of the discovery
of the woman who had brought him there; and impressed upon him her
own strong conviction that this was not his mother.

"I believe, Billy," she said, over and over again, "that your
parents were gentlefolk. Now mind, it does not make one bit of
difference to you, for it ain't likely you will ever hear of them.
Still, please God, you may do so; and it is for you to bear it in
mind, and to act so as--if you were to meet them--they need not be
ashamed of you. You have got to earn your living just like all the
other boys here; but you can act right, and straight, and
honorable.

"Never tell a lie, Billy; not if it's to save yourself from being
thrashed ever so much. Always speak out manful, and straight, no
matter what comes of it. Don't never use no bad words, work hard at
your books, and try to improve yourself. Keep it always before you
that you mean to be a good man, and a gentleman, some day and, mark
my words, you will do it."

"You're spoiling that child," her husband would say, "filling his
head with your ridiculous notions."

"No, I am not spoiling him, Sam. I'm doing him good. It will help
keep him straight, if he thinks that he is of gentle blood, and
must not shame it. Why, the matron said only yesterday she could
not make him out, he was so different from other boys."

"More's the pity," grumbled the porter. "It mayn't do him harm
now--I don't say as it does; but when he leaves the house he'll be
above his work, and will be discontented, and never keep a place."

"No, he won't," his wife asserted stoutly; although, in her heart,
she feared that there was some risk of her teaching having that
effect.

So far, however, there could be no doubt that her teaching had been
of great advantage to the boy; and his steadiness and diligence
soon attracted the attention of the schoolmaster. Schoolmasters are
always ready to help pupils forward who promise to be a credit to
them, and William Gale's teacher was no exception. He was not a
learned man--very far from it. He had been a grocer who had failed
in business and, having no other resource, had accepted the very
small salary offered, by the guardians of Ely workhouse, as the
only means which pre