MARY CARPENTER. 73 



soon after his arrival in this country, therefore, he 

 paid a visit to the Bristol home, and received a hearty 

 welcome. He was invited to remain for awhile, and 

 in this way he became intimate with Mary and the 

 rest of the family. We can understand how eagerly 

 the earnest-hearted woman, filled with pity and love 

 for the poor, would listen to the story of the work 

 which the earnest-hearted man had been able to ac- 

 complish ; how she would try to learn his methods, 

 and long to imitate his example. Ill as he was, Dr. 

 Tuckerman could not refrain from exploring the 

 narrow streets and miserable alleys where the " dan- 

 gerous classes " lived. We are not surprised to be told 

 that in these excursions Mary was his companion. 



One day, as Mary was walking with her guest 

 through some of the streets which surrounded her 

 father's chapel in " Lewin's Mead," a miserable, ragged 

 boy darted out of a dark court and rushed wildly 

 across their path. " That child," said Dr. Tucker- 

 man, " should be followed to his home and seen 

 after." Nothing more was said, but the remark was 

 like the seed which fell into good ground, and brought 

 forth fruit a hundred-fold. Thirty-six years after 

 Mary repeated these words, and said that the moment 

 of her hearing them was one of the quickening 

 moments of her life. " His words," she said, " sank 

 into my mind with a painful feeling that a duty was 

 being neglected." 



The sensitive girl told her sisters what had 



