time to go to the hospital."

"What do you mean? What hospital?"

"The hospital in--Place. I go there every day for five or six
hours."

"What to do?"

"Whatever they give me to do."

"I don't understand you, Alice."

"You mean how I got leave to go there? I will tell you;--one
of the nurses, sisters they call them now, knew me when we
lived at Bromley, and two or three times I had met her in the
street, and talked with her. She took me one day with her into
the hospital to see a poor woman who had broken her leg; she
was in sad distress of mind, and could not bear to be left
alone, and, as the sisters had too much to do to sit much by
her bed-side, they were glad enough to leave me with her. Ever
since, I have gone there almost every day, and they always
find something or other for me to do."

"And when you leave the hospital, what do you do?"

"Generally I go to the square again for an hour, and then to
evening prayers; but sometimes, if Mr. Henry is at home, he
walks with me for a little while."

"And does Mr. Henry," I said with a smile, "approve of your
long visits to the hospital, and your walks in the square, and
all your solitary proceedings? He must be rather lonely at
home all the morning without you?"

"He gets up late," answered Alice, "and always goes out
immediately after breakfast."

"And then at dinner, or in the evening, I suppose, you give
him an account of the proceedings of the day?"

"No, Mr. Henry does not care for birds and flowers, or
children. He is very kind to poor people; twice, when I have
asked him, he has given me some money for them, but he does
not like to hear about them."

"Mrs. Middleton wishes very much to see you to-day, Alice."

"Does she? I shall be so glad to see her. When may I go to
her? Is she like Mr. Henry?"

"In some ways she is, but you will find that she does care for
birds and flowers" (I was going to add children, but something
at my heart stopped me). "Come, dear Alice, put on your
bonnet, and we will go to her immediately if you will come
with me."

While she was tying on her bonnet, I went up to the book-case,
and, looking over it said, "I do not see any new books here. I
should have thought you would have added to your stock in
London?"

"Mr. Henry has plenty of books in his study," answered Alice;
"and when I was first married, as he had given me leave to
take them when I liked, I read some of them."

"And liked them?"

"Some not enou