t care for what she
said, or fear for what she might do to me. The poor mite of a baby was
sure to be a peacemaker between us, sooner or later.

"It turned out she'd got sixpence and a few half-pence--not a farthing
more, and too proud to ask help from any one of her friends. I
managed to worm out of her that she had run away from home before her
confinement, and had gone to some strange place to be confined, where
they'd ill-treated and robbed her. She hadn't long got away from the
wretches who'd done it. By the time I'd found out all this, her baby
was quite quiet, and ready to go to sleep. I gave it her back. She said
nothing, but took and kissed my hand, her lips feeling like burning
coals on my flesh. 'You're kindly welcome,' says I, a little flustered
at such a queer way of thanking me. 'Just wait a bit while I speak to my
husband.' Though she'd been and done wrong, I couldn't for the life
of me help pitying her, for her fierce ways. She was so young, and so
forlorn and ill, and had such a beautiful face (little Mary's is the
image of it, 'specially about the eyes), and seemed so like a lady,
that it was almost a sin, as I thought, to send her to such a place as a
workhouse.

"Well: I went and told Jemmy all I had got out of her--my own baby
kicking and crowing in my arms again, as happy as a king, all the time I
was speaking. 'It seems shocking,' says I, 'to let such as her go into a
workhouse. What had we better do?'--Says Jemmy, 'Let's take her with us
to the circus and ask Peggy Burke.'

"Peggy Burke, if you please, sir, was the finest rider that ever stepped
on a horse's back. We've had nothing in our circus to come near her,
since she went to Astley's. She was the wildest devil of an Irish
girl--oh! I humbly beg your pardon, sir, for saying such a word; but she
really _was_ so wild, I hope you'll excuse it. She'd go through fire
and water, as they say, to serve people she liked; but as for them she
didn't, she'd often use her riding-whip among 'em as free as her tongue.
That cowardly brute Jubber would never have beaten my little Mary, if
Peggy had been with us still! He was so frightened of her that she could
twist him round her finger; and she did, for he dursn't quarrel with the
best rider in England, and let other circuses get hold of her. Peggy was
a wonderful sharp girl besides, and was always fond of me, and took
my part; so when Jemmy said he thought it best to ask her what we had
better do, you m