It seemed to come from upstairs.

'She's a-larfin' ag'in,' said the girl. 'It's a very wicked larf,
sir, ain't it? But there's wuss uns nor Meg Gudgeon for all 'er
wicked larf, as I knows. Many a time she's kep' me from starvin'. I
mus' run up an' see 'er. She'll kill herself a-larfin' yit.'

The girl hurried upstairs and I followed her, leaving Sinfi below. I
re-entered the bedroom. There was the woman, her face buried in the
pillow, rocking and rolling her body half round with the regularity
of a pendulum. Between the peals of half-smothered hysterical
laughter that came from her, I could hear her say:

'_Dear Lord Jesus, don't forget to love dear Henry who can't git up
the gangways without me_.'

The words seemed to fall upon my heart like a rain of molten metal
dropping from the merciless and mocking skies. But I had ceased to
wonder at the cruelty of Fate. The girl went to her and shook her
angrily. This seemed to allay her hysterics, for she rolled round
upon her back and stared at us. Then she looked at the envelope
clutched in her hand, and read out the address,

'Henry, Henry, Henry Halywin, Eskeuer! An' I tookt 'im for a copper
in plain clothes all the while! Henry, Henry, Henry Halywin, Eskeuer!
I shall die a-larfin', I know I shall! I shall die a-larfin', I know
I shall! Poll! don't you mind me a-tellin' you about my pore darter
Winifred--for my darter she _was_, as I'll swear afore all the beaks
in London--don't you mind me a-sayin' that if she wouldn't talk when
she wur awake, she could mag away fast enough when she wur asleep;
an' it were allus the same mag about dear little Henry, an' dear
Henry Halywin as couldn't git up the gangways without 'er. Well, pore
dear Henry was 'er sweet'airt, an' this is the chap, an' if my eyes
ain't stun blind, the werry chap out o' the cussed studeros as killed
'er, pore dear, an' as is a-skearin' me away from my beautiful 'um in
Primrose Court; an' 'ere wur I a-talkin' to 'im all of a muck sweat,
thinkin' he wur a copper in plain clothes!'

At this moment Sinfi entered the room. She came up to me, and laying
her hand upon my shoulder she said: 'Come away, brother, this is
cruel hard for you to bear. It's our poor sister Winifred as is dead,
and it ain't nobody else.'

The effect of Sinfi's appearance and of her words upon the woman was
like that of an electric shock. She sat up in her bed open-mouthed,
staring from Sinfi to me, and from me to Sinfi.

'So my dar