"It will be no news to you," said Hope, "that we are very poor. You
know nearly as much of our affairs as we do ourselves, as it is right
that you should. We have not wished to make any further change in our
domestic plans till this little fellow was born. But now that he is
beginning to make his way in the world, and that his mother is well and
strong, we feel that we must consider of some further effort to spend
still less than we do now."

"There are two ways in which this may be done, we think, Morris," said
Hester. "We may either keep the comfort of having you with us, and
pinch ourselves more as to dress and the table--"

"Oh! ma'am, I hope you will not carry that any further."

"Well, if we do not carry that any further, the only thing to be done, I
fear, is to part with you."

"Is there no other way, I wonder," said Morris, as if thinking aloud.
"If it must be one of these ways, it certainly seems to me to be better
for ladies to work hard with good food, than to have a servant, and
stint themselves in health and strength. But who would have thought of
my young ladies coming to this?"

"It is a situation in which hundreds and thousands are placed, Morris;
and why not we, as well as they?"

"May be so, ma'am: but it grieves one, too."

"Do not grieve. I believe we all think that this parting with you is
the first real grief that our change of fortune has caused us. Somehow
or other, we have been exceedingly comfortable in our poverty. If that
had been all, we should have had a very happy year of it."

"One would desire to say nothing against what is God's will, ma'am; but
one may be allowed, perhaps, to hope that better times will come."

"I do hope it, and believe it," said her master.

"And if better times come, Morris, you will return to us. Will you
not?"

"My dear, you know nothing would make me leave you now (as you say I am
a comfort to you) if I had any right to say I would stay. I could live
upon as little as anybody, and could do almost without any wages. But
there is my poor sister, you know, ladies. She depends upon me for
everything, now that she cannot work herself: and I must earn money for
her."

"We are quite aware of that," said Margaret. "It is for your sake and
hers, quite as much as for our own, that we think we must part."

"We wish to know what you would like to do," said Hester. "Shall we try
to find a situation for you near us, or would you be happier to go