126 THE WORLD'S WORKERS. 



would not care to be interrupted, so that sometimes 

 she passed whole days in solitude. Many a night at 

 this time she passed in sleeplessness, and sometimes 

 she had to stop work because she was weeping. The 

 remedy she sought for this state of things was very 

 characteristic of her. She determined to adopt some 

 children. She remembered two little Hindoo boys 

 whose parents would, she believed, be glad to have 

 her take charge of them, and when returning from her 

 fourth visit to India she brought these boys back with 

 her. After this she was quite happy again. The fact 

 was that she was possessed of the mother heart, she 

 felt a want unless there was a child near her whom 

 she could cherish. With children by her side the 

 desolation of loneliness never came over her. 



The last days of her life were very bright and peace- 

 ful. She still continued to work, and her mind was 

 as clear and active as ever. A letter which she wrote 

 to a friend who had completed her eightieth birth- 

 day is so beautiful that it deserves to be copied : 



"MY DEAR FRIEND, I was very happy to see 

 you so bright and serene at the age which in the 

 olden time, before our blessed Lord came, was 

 1 labour and sorrow.' I, too, am able to rejoice 

 evermore. 



" I am truly thankful that, though I cannot do 

 much walking, I can get through really as much as 

 ever in intensity if not in quantity, often in the latter. 

 I am also very happy to have enough money to do 



