can tell you, justice is bitterly hard, as she walks the streets here;
and mercy's hand has grown rough with friction!'

Betty looked at the speaker, whose brow was knit and his eye darkened
and flashing; she half laughed.

'You are eloquent,' she said. 'You ought to be representing the case on
the floor of the House of Commons.'

'Well,' he said, coming down to an easier tone, 'the parish authorities
are but men, as I said, and they grow suspicious, naturally; and in any
case the relief they give is utterly insufficient. A shilling a week,
or two shillings a week,--what would they do for the people I have been
telling you of? And it is hard dealing with the parish authorities. I
know it, for here and there at least I have followed Job's example;
"the cause I knew not, I searched out." One must do that, or one runs
the risk of being taken in, and throwing money away upon rogues which
ought to go to help honest people.'

'But that takes time?'

'Yes.'

'A great deal of time, if it is to be done often.'

'Yes.'

'Mr. Pitt, if you follow out that sort of business, it would leave you
time for nothing else.'

'What better can I do with my time?'

'Just suppose everybody did the like!'

'Suppose they did.'

'What would be the state of things?'

'I should say, the world would be in a better state of health; and that
elephant we once spoke of would not shake his head quite so often.'

'But you are not the elephant, as I pointed out, if I remember; the
world does not rest on your head.'

'Part of it does. Go on and answer my question. What ought I to do for
these people of whom I have told you?'

'But you cannot reach everybody. You can reach only a few.'

'Yes. For those few, what ought I to do?'

'I daresay you know of other cases, that you have not said anything
about, equally miserable?'

'_More_ miserable, I assure you,' said Pitt, looking at her. 'What
then? Answer my question, like a good woman.'

'I am not a good woman.'

'Answer it _like_ a good woman, anyhow,' said Pitt, smiling. 'What
should I do, properly, for such people as those I have brought to your
notice? Apply the golden rule--the only one that _can_ give the measure
of things. In their place, what would you wish--and have a right to
wish--that some one should do for you? what may those who have nothing
demand from those who have everything?'

'Why, they could demand all you have got!'

'Not justly. Cannot you set your imaginat