cheer his spirits, and nerve him with a fresh resolution
for the coming week. And what was it that the widow hoped would
result from this painful bondage? She did not know; she only had
faith in her doctrine--that patience and industry would some time be
rewarded. _How_ the reward was to come in her son's case, she could
not see. It seemed likely, indeed, from all appearances, that the
doctrine in this case would prove false. But still she had faith.

It was now nearly four years since the conversation between mother
and son before detailed. They were together again on the Saturday
evening. Stephen had grown into a tall, manly youth, with a gentle,
kind, and thoughtful expression of countenance. Mary looked much
older, thinner, paler, and more anxious. Both were at this moment
looking very downcast.

"I do not see that anything can be hoped from him," said Stephen,
with a sigh. "I have now served him faithfully for five years; I
have borne patiently all his ill-humour; I have never been absent a
moment from my post; and during all that time, notwithstanding all
this, he has never thanked me, he has never so much as given me a
single kind word, nor even a kind look. He must know that
apprenticeships will be out on Tuesday, yet he never says a word to
me about it, and I suppose I must just go without a word."

"You must speak to him," said Mary; "you cannot leave without saying
something; and tell him exactly how you are situated; he cannot
refuse to do something to help you."

"It is easy to talk of speaking to him, mother, but not so easy to
do it. I have often before thought of speaking to him, of telling
him how very, very poor we are, and begging a little more salary.
But I never could do it when I came before him. I seemed to feel
that he would refuse me, and I felt somehow too proud to ask a
favour that would most likely be refused. But it shall be done now,
mother; I will not be a burthen upon you, if I can help it. I'd
sooner do anything than that. He _ought_ to do something for me, and
there's no one else that I know of that can. I will speak to him on
Monday."

Monday evening was come; all day Stephen had been screwing up his
courage for the task he had to do; of course it could not be done
when his master and he were in the shop together, for there they
were liable at any moment to be interrupted. At dinner-time they
separated; for they took the meal alternately, that the post in the
shop might never be