76 THE WORLD'S WORKERS. 



to help those who needed her help. It is said that 

 when the time came for apportioning the different 

 districts to the various visitors, Mary always chose for 

 herself the poorest and the worst. Sometimes the 

 dirt, squalor, and sin she saw were so dreadful, that 

 she was utterly disgusted and filled with loathing ; 

 but love and pity invariably triumphed in her heart, 

 and made her willing to endure pain, if only she 

 might be of service to these poor lost ones. 



In the midst of all this work, Mary Carpenter did 

 not entirely give up her studies. Poetry, science, and 

 art afforded her great pleasure, and reading was her 

 great resource. It is interesting to note that even at 

 this early period Mary Carpenter was particularly 

 fond of Wordsworth's poems. Fifty years ago Words- 

 worth was not esteemed so highly as he is now ; the 

 people of his own day were sometimes inclined to 

 speak of him with scorn. But with Maiy Carpenter 

 he was a special favourite. She had the wit to dis- 

 cover his merit quite early, and she felt kindly 

 disposed to people when once she knew that they 

 loved Wordsworth. Turner's pictures, too, she highly 

 appreciated after a while, though not at first. Very 

 often when she was in London, and felt tired out, she 

 used to steal away to the National Gallery, sit before 

 one of Turner's great pictures for a time, and come 

 away refreshed. Mary Carpenter had a great love 

 for art. 



In the year 1840 came the great sorrow of Mary 



