38 POVERTY, SICKNESS, AND WOE. 



served other people before her, though she 

 came first, and had been waiting; asking 

 them what they'd please to want, but let- 

 ting her ask for herself. My heart was as 

 proud as ever, and couldn't bear this; so 

 one morning I took a few little silver things 

 I had, and told the grocer to keep them till 

 I could fetch them away, and pay him ; but 

 I dare say he thought that would never be, 

 for he knew we were going down hill. And 

 one of my windows got broke, and had a 

 sheet of paper pasted over it, and there's no 

 poorer look than that ; and glad I was after- 

 wards it was broke, as I shall tell, just to 

 show how one good turn deserves and gets 

 another. 



Time wore away, and I did as well as I 

 could. Once I had got a few days' work at 

 a farmer's some way off, and had to get up 

 early, and was late getting home; and I 

 wasn't quite as strong as I used to be. At 

 this farmer's I always had my meals given 

 me, and I managed to save a bit to bring home 

 for my wife and the children. I left one 

 very ill one morning, my only boy; and 

 when I got home at night he was very bad. 

 I never found my wife in such trouble 



