or
boy, he little knew as he plodded on that he was that day about to enter
into one of the darkest clouds of his young life.

During his absence a letter had been received by his father, intimating
that through the failure of a bank he was a ruined man. The shock had
paralysed the farmer, and when Jack entered his home he found him lying
on his bed in a state of insensibility, from which he could not be
rallied. A few days later the old man died.

Farmer Matterby's widow had few relatives, and none of these were in
circumstances to help her in the day of trial. They and her numerous
friends did indeed what they could. Besides offering sincere sympathy,
they subscribed and raised a small sum to enable the bereaved woman and
her only child to tide over present difficulties, but they could not
enable her to continue to work the farm, and as most of her late
husband's kindred had migrated to Canada, she had no one from whom she
could naturally claim counsel or aid. She was therefore thrown entirely
on God; and it was with strange and solemn feelings that Jack kneeled by
her side, and heard her pray in tones of anguish for help, light, and
guidance, and especially that, whatever might become of herself, her
dear boy might be preserved from evil and guided in ways of
righteousness.

A few months later, and the widow, gathering the small remnant of her
possessions together, set off with her little boy to seek employment in
London. How many poor souls, in various ranks of life, must have turned
their steps, in days gone by, towards that giant city in the sanguine
hope of bettering their condition! Mrs Matterby had no friends to whom
she could go in London; but she could paint and draw and sing, and was
fairly educated. She would teach. In the meantime she had a little
money to start with. Entertaining a suspicion that it might be
considered a wildish scheme by her friends and neighbours, she resolved
to say nothing about her plans to any one, save that she was going to
London for a time.

It was a touching scene, the parting of Jack and the Grove family. The
sturdy fisherman was at sea at the time, but old Nell was in her
accustomed corner in the lowly bed with the ragged counterpane, where
her uneventful, yet happy, life was spent; and little curly-headed
Nellie was there, playing with the cat; and Natty was there, cutting out
a first-rate man of war with a huge knife.

"Granny," (Jack always called her "gran