A CHAPTER FOR MARRIED PEOPLE 561 



ral to this period of life. The eyes were sunken back 

 in their sockets, the cheeks fallen in, the nose pinched, 

 and the whole countenance presented the appearance 

 of infirm old age, just upon the verge of the grave, 

 from consumption. The fingers resembled most those 

 of a skeleton. Horrible sores began to make their 

 appearance, first on the hands, then about the head 

 and eyes. The bones began to decay and drop out 

 one by one, and yet the poor little creature clung to 

 life week after week, becoming more wretched and 

 miserable, a constant moaning and crying day and 

 night indicating the intense suffering which it endured. 

 Horrible spasms now and then deprived it of the 

 power to breathe. Again and again the mother 

 thought it was dying, and even dead, but still it sur- 

 vived month after month, lingering on, literally a liv- 

 ing, breathing putrefying corpse. During all these 

 days and weeks and months of weary watching, day 

 and night, what must have been the mother 's regrets ! 

 What pangs of bitter self-reproach, and what remorse 

 of conscience must have burned in her heart, as dur- 

 ing the long night watches she sat beside her dying 

 babe, and listened to its piteous moans ! 



And still the wretched infant lingered. Its little 

 flickering flame of life burned faintly on for many 

 months. The mother nursed it day and night, dress- 

 ing its festering sores and soothing its feeble cries. 

 But vain was her effort to undo the wrong she had 

 done her little one. Let us hope that by genuine re- 

 pentance and the many months of faithful and patient 

 watching, she has made a full atonement for her sin. 



The Remedy.— Wliether this gigantic evil can ever 

 be eradicated is exceedingly doubtful. To effect its 

 cure would be to make refined Christians out of brutal 



