spread her nets well and skilfully.
She has turned right into wrong, and wrong into right, and taught you
all to be uncertain whether there be any such thing as Vice in the
world, or whether it ought not to be looked upon as Virtue. She has
led you to the brink of the deep pit, ready for the first chance
circumstance to push you in. And I trusted her--I trusted her--I
welcomed her."

"I have done very wrong," murmured Ruth, but so low, that perhaps he
did not hear her, for he went on, lashing himself up.

"I welcomed her. I was duped into allowing her bastard--(I sicken at
the thought of it)--"

At the mention of Leonard, Ruth lifted up her eyes for the first time
since the conversation began, the pupils dilating, as if she were
just becoming aware of some new agony in store for her. I have seen
such a look of terror on a poor dumb animal's countenance, and once
or twice on human faces. I pray I may never see it again on either!
Jemima felt the hand she held in her strong grasp writhe itself free.
Ruth spread her arms before her, clasping and lacing her fingers
together, her head thrown a little back, as if in intensest
suffering.

Mr Bradshaw went on:

"That very child and heir of shame to associate with my own innocent
children! I trust they are not contaminated."

"I cannot bear it--I cannot bear it!" were the words wrung out of
Ruth.

"Cannot bear it! cannot bear it!" he repeated. "You must bear it,
madam. Do you suppose your child is to be exempt from the penalties
of his birth? Do you suppose that he alone is to be saved from the
upbraiding scoff? Do you suppose that he is ever to rank with other
boys, who are not stained and marked with sin from their birth? Every
creature in Eccleston may know what he is; do you think they will
spare him their scorn? 'Cannot bear it,' indeed! Before you went
into your sin, you should have thought whether you could bear the
consequences or not--have had some idea how far your offspring would
be degraded and scouted, till the best thing that could happen to
him would be for him to be lost to all sense of shame, dead to all
knowledge of guilt, for his mother's sake."

Ruth spoke out. She stood like a wild creature at bay, past fear now.
"I appeal to God against such a doom for my child. I appeal to God to
help me. I am a mother, and as such I cry to God for help--for help
to keep my boy in His pitying sight, and to bring him up in His holy
fear. Let the shame fall on me