MARY CARPENTER. 85 



filthy lane in which the second school was situated. 

 \\ as more miserable still. It was, indeed, a regular 

 haunt of ragamuffins. Once more helped by her 

 friends, Miss Carpenter bought one or two old houses 

 in St. James's Back, and converted them into schools. 

 Day by day, week by week, month by month, she 

 was to be found at these schools, going through the 

 routine which so many enthusiasts are ready to take 

 up for a little while, but which they are even more < 

 ready to relinquish when they discover that there tej: 

 very little excitement about it, but only a dull ( 

 flict with misery and ingratitude. Discouragement of 

 this kind never affected Mary Carpenter. No matter 

 what inducements she might have to go elsewhere, 

 two nights in every week found her regularly at the 

 schools, which were attended by the off-scouring of 

 the streets, and day after day found her in the same 

 place ready to take a class, to help in distributing 

 soup to the hungry, or to take upon herself the larger 

 part of the toil that had to be gone through. 



Going regularly thus to the school, of course she 

 soon became familiar with the ways of the children, 

 and also with the people of the neighbourhood. She 

 never had any fear in traversing these wretched courts 

 and alleys, and would go alone, and at night, into 

 places where policemen only went by twos. To quote 

 the touching words of her biographer, "The street 

 quarrel was hushed at her approach, as a guilty lad 

 slunk away to avoid her look of sorrowful reproof; 



