that night been absent, waiting outside the gate. As soon as
he saw her come out, he ran up the path, and eagerly caught by her
dress, begging her to come to his mother.

She inquired what the matter was, but he could do nothing but sob and
cry to her to make haste. She hesitated for a moment. She was already
later than usual and the night was rather stormy, but the little
creature's distress moved her to go with him.

He led her into one of the cottages where, in the kitchen, lay a woman
evidently in the last stage of consumption. The house was in a terrible
state of disorder, having, apparently, never been touched since its
mistress lay down, which Mabel learned was about three weeks ago.

Her husband was away at the pit, she said, and the little boy who had
brought Mabel was her eldest child. An infant of about four months old
slept beside her, and two other children of about two and three years of
age respectively sprawled on the floor, screaming with all the strength
of their united lungs.

After speaking for a few minutes to the poor woman, Mabel decided that
she could do nothing until the noise was stopped, and after many
unsuccessful efforts, at last had the satisfaction of seeing the two
drop off to sleep, thoroughly exhausted with crying. She then turned her
attention to the sick woman, whom she found to be in a very weak state
indeed. She told Mabel that the doctor had visited her that morning, and
had thought it his duty to tell her that she had only a very few days
more to live.

Mabel hardly knew what to do, or what to say, but at last suggested,
that perhaps she would like to see Mr. Chadwell or the missionary, as
she gathered from her conversation that she was in great spiritual
distress.

"Oh, no," sighed the poor creature, "I daren't have any of them here.
The missionary was here once, and it was the words he spoke that first
set me thinking. He left me a book too, that was full of good things,
but my husband burned it when he came home, and the priest said if he
ever came here again my eyes would never look on the blessed Virgin."
She was stopped by a hollow cough that completely racked her wasted
frame, and then went on in a faint voice:

"I couldn't rest, though, and the priest did not give me any comfort.
Then I heard Willie there tell what the kind young ladies said about
going to Heaven directly we die, and never a word of purgatory, and I
thought maybe one of you could tell me something