un, and thou'st saved to-day as good a wife
and mother as ever stepped."

Here there was another tremendous cheer; and to avoid fresh
demonstrations I snatched my clothes from the woman who held them, and
we hurried off to get back to Mrs Stephenson's as quickly and quietly
as we could.

Quickly! Quietly! We were mad to expect it; for we had to go home in
the midst of a rapidly-increasing crowd, who kept up volley after volley
of cheers, and pressed to our sides to shake hands.

That latter display of friendliness we escaped during the finish of our
journey; for in spite of all Uncle Jack could do to prevent it, big as
he was, they hoisted him on the shoulders of a couple of great
furnacemen, a couple more carrying me, and so we were taken home.

I never felt so much ashamed in my life, but there was nothing for it
but to be patient; and, like most of such scenes, it came to an end by
our reaching Mrs Stephenson's and nearly frightening her to death.

"Bless my heart!" she cried, "I thought there'd been some accident, and
you was both brought home half-killed. Just hark at 'em! The street's
full, and the carts can hardly get by."

And so it was; for whenever, as I towelled myself into a glow, I peeped
round the blind, there was the great crowd shouting and hurrahing with
all their might.

For the greater part they were workmen and boys, all in their
shirt-sleeves and without caps; but there was a large sprinkling of big
motherly women there; and the more I looked the more abashed I felt, for
first one and then another seemed to be telling the story to a listening
knot, as I could see by the motion of her hands imitating swimming.

Two hours after we were cheered by the news that my efforts had not been
in vain, for after a long fight the doctor had brought the child to; and
that night, when we thought all the fuss was over, there came six great
booms from a big drum, and a powerful brass band struck up, "See, the
Conquering Hero comes!" Then the mob that had gathered cheered and
shouted till we went to the window and thanked them; and then they
cheered again, growing quite mad with excitement as a big strapping
woman, in a black silk bonnet and a scarlet shawl, came up to the door
and was admitted and brought into the parlour.

I was horrified, for it was big Mrs Gentles, and I had a dread of
another scene.

I need not have been alarmed, for there was a sweet natural quietness in
the woman that surprise