DICK ROOK. 195 



from illness, poverty, and old age. His tale of 

 misery was soon told, and no sooner told, than 

 Dick's little store of money was immediately trans- 

 ferred to him. " If the poor did not help those 

 who are poorer than themselves," said Dick, "there 

 would be much more distress in the world than 

 we see at present. The poor best know what their 

 fellow creatures suffer." This is perfectly true. 

 There is, I am convinced, an intuitive faculty in 

 the poorer classes, which enables them instantly 

 to discover actual from pretended distress ; and to 

 their honour be it spoken, I have known relief 

 afforded by those who were very little removed 

 from actual want themselves. 



I have already said that Dick looked ill, and 

 it now appeared that he was so. I had not seen 

 him for two or three days, nor could any one give 

 me any account of him. At last my friend was 

 informed that he had been taken unwell at a 

 village, a few miles from the cottage where he 

 lodged, and he immediately rode over to see him. 

 He was in bed at an ale-house, and evidently 

 suffering from a great degree of fever. He posi- 

 tively refused to see a medical man, or to have 

 any remedy administered to him. " I know, 5 ' he 

 said, " what is the matter with me, and it is all 

 of no use." My friend sat by him some time,, 

 but finding all his arguments of no avail, he gave 

 him some money and promised to see him again 



