to perform her daily round of duty, often scolded
for doing it inefficiently, the poor organ-grinder came one day with a
face more sorrowful than ever, and told Nelly, weeping, that his
daughter--his _povera picciola_--had been carried off by one of those
sudden attacks that so soon run their course and snap the thread of
weakly lives. He was so lonely now, he said, he could not bear it!
Would Nelly come and be his daughter, and take poor Teresa's forsaken
tambourine? She had a voice sweet as Teresa's own, and he would teach
her to sing when he played. She should have no hard work, and no
scolding, and they would take care of each other.

It was a tempting offer to poor Nelly, pining under continual chilling
indifference and fault-finding. While she was hesitating, her
mistress, hearing a strange voice in the kitchen, came down in wrath
to dismiss the intruder, who rose instantly at the sound of her harsh
voice. "I go, signora," he said in his foreign English, "and this girl
goes with me. You give her too hard work and hard words. I will take
care for her, and she shall be to me as the _povera_ who is dead!
Come, _picciola_!"

Mrs. Williams had by this time so far recovered from her amazement as
to find voice enough to demand of Nelly whether she was really going
to be so ungrateful as to leave a place where she had been so kindly
treated, and ruin herself for life, by going off with a wandering
character like that. But Nelly's reply was ready. "You said, ma'am,
you'd have to send me away because I couldn't do your work properly.
So I think I'd better go."

And hurriedly collecting her few possessions, she was ready in two
minutes to accompany her newly-found protector. Mrs. Williams
endeavoured to detain her, threatening to "take the law of her." But
Nelly was determined. Anything was better than remaining there; and
Mrs. Williams, who was somewhat overawed by the Italian's determined
eye, gave up what she saw was a vain attempt. She shut the door after
them with expressive force, and then went up-stairs to discourse to
her daughter on the incredible ingratitude and heartlessness of such
creatures.

Nelly had faithfully served Mrs. Williams to the utmost of her
strength and ability for five months, and her mistress had in return
given her food of the poorest quality, and one old print dress of her
own, worn almost to tatters. Yet Mrs. Williams, having herself a
pretty hard struggle to make both ends meet, was at l