74 



is: Bessy Grimley, sir," said he, "is not my 

 daughter I have none, sir ; but I will say no more 

 of that. It was the will of God to take all my 

 own from me, and I won't complain but Bessy 

 is as good a daughter to me as if she had been 

 my own. Some years ago, sir, her father was 

 one of my neighbours; he was Joe Grimley, that 

 you may have heard of, who kept the carrier's 

 inn, at the other side, near the town ; I lived 

 there at that time. Well, he broke, poor fel- 

 low, and had to go off in the night to hide 

 from his creditors his wife was taken ill that 

 same night, because of the fright, I believe. 

 She was put to bed, and had a fine little girl; 

 but she never did any good afterwards, and be- 

 fore a month was over she was gone. The poor 

 woman asked my wife to take care for a while of 

 her infant, till her husband was no longer under 

 a cloud ; and we promised it, sir, and have kept 

 our promise through all times, bad as well as 

 good. While we were well to do, she had her 

 share of all that my own had and then, when 

 times changed, we never forsook her. And now, 

 sir, you see she is every thing to us. When I 

 lost my sight, poverty came fast upon us my 

 wife soon after lost her health with grief, I be- 

 lieve, and can now do nothing. Our sons went 

 away to the wars, and died in the field of glory 

 our two daughters worked too hard, I believe 

 Alas ! sir, one after another declined away and 



