tober 14th, 1867, he says: 'It is
fourteen years this day since my poor (but I trust now rich) mother was
buried at Hessle. The Lord knows I was her darling son; but, alas! for
many years I was no comfort to her. But years before her death Christ
washed me from my sins in his most precious blood, and now I entertain a
hope of meeting her in heaven.']

_Second._--WILLIAM EARNSHAW.* (1820.)

There were two brothers, Robert and William, sons of Mr. Earnshaw, of
Hessle. They were about my own age, and, like myself, they were very
fond of bathing. Their mother used to blame me for taking them into the
water so often; but it was less my fault than theirs, for they used to
fetch me from school--and I have known them give the schoolmaster a
shilling to let me go with them. One day, we went to bathe in the drain,
and fearing our parents might see us, we went a long way up the bank and
then began to swim; at length I heard some one call out 'William
Earnshaw is drowning!' I was then a hundred yards from him, but I
hastened to the bank and ran as fast as I could, until I got opposite
him, when I again plunged into the drain and swam to my young friend's
rescue. His brother was weeping, and said, 'All is over with him,' and I
thought so too. I could but just see the hair of his head, when I darted
at him and gave him a great push, but he was too far gone to take hold
of me, so I shoved him on and on, until his brother could reach him,
when we put him on the bank and thought he was dead; but he soon began
to breathe, and, after a while, came round. At that time I was in great
disgrace with Mrs. Earnshaw, and afraid lest, if we told of William's
narrow escape, she would never let us go together again, we vowed to
keep the affair a profound secret. Soon after this the two brothers were
taken ill, and poor William died, and the doctor said this illness was
brought on by their too frequent bathing. They didn't bathe half so
often as I did, but it was evident their constitution could not bear the
water so well as mine. Mr. Earnshaw was a rich man and very liberal,
and, I believe, if he had known the real nature of the case, as I have
described it, so far from blaming me, he would have rewarded me for what
I did for his son. I kept the promise I made to William for upwards of
forty years; but as Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw and their sons are dead, and
as a large circle of my friends are wishful to have a list of the lives
I have saved, I thi