y attendance at chapel; but I think my heart began to get hardened,
and my mind to be overcast in secret with its own thoughts about this
time. There was a change coming. Two or three days after I had earned
the wages just mentioned my husband found me out. The furniture-money
was all spent. He made a disturbance at the club, I was only able
to quiet him by giving him all the money I could spare from my own
necessities. The scandal was brought before the committee. They said, if
the circumstance occurred again, they should be obliged to part with me.
In a fortnight the circumstance occurred again. It's useless to dwell on
it. They all said they were sorry for me. I lost the place. My husband
went back with me to my lodgings. The next morning I caught him taking
my purse, with the few shillings I had in it, out of my trunk, which
he had broken open. We quarreled. And he struck me again--this time
knocking me down.

"I went once more to the police court, and told my story--to another
magistrate this time. My only petition was to have my husband kept away
from me. 'I don't want to be a burden on others' (I says) 'I don't want
to do any thing but what's right. I don't even complain of having been
very cruelly used. All I ask is to be let to earn an honest living. Will
the law protect me in the effort to do that?'

"The answer, in substance, was that the law might protect me, provided I
had money to spend in asking some higher court to grant me a separation.
After allowing my husband to rob me openly of the only property I
possessed--namely, my furniture--the law turned round on me when I
called upon it in my distress, and held out its hand to be paid. I had
just three and sixpence left in the world--and the prospect, if I earned
more, of my husband coming (with permission of the law) and taking it
away from me. There was only one chance--namely, to get time to turn
round in, and to escape him again. I got a month's freedom from him,
by charging him with knocking me down. The magistrate (happening to be
young, and new to his business) sent him to prison, instead of fining
him. This gave me time to get a character from the club, as well as a
special testimonial from good Mr. Bapchild. With the help of these, I
obtained a place in a private family--a place in the country, this time.

"I found myself now in a haven of peace. I was among worthy kind-hearted
people, who felt for my distresses, and treated me most indulgently.
I