cast
his eyes on the poor, pale boy. When he had recovered himself a little,
he proceeded:-- "He is all that it has pleased God to leave to his
afflicted mother and me, out of seven of them. His other brother and
sister and him were all we had living for some years; they are seven
weeks dead yesterday, of the fever; and when he was given over, sir, his
mother and I vowed, that if God would spare him to us, either she or
I would bring him to the 'Island,' as soon as he would be able for the
journey. He was but weakly settin' out, and we had no notion that the
station was so tryin' as it is: it has nearly overcome my child, and how
he will be able to walk forty miles in this weak, sickly state, God only
knows?" "Oh! sir," said the boy, "my poor father is worse off and weaker
than I am, and he is sick too, sir; I am only weak, but not sick; but
my poor father's both weak and sick," said he, his tears streaming from
him, as he pressed his father's arm to his breast--"my poor father is
both weak and. sick, ay, and hungry too," said he. "Take this," said the
priest, "it is as much as I can afford to give you," putting a silver
fivepenny-piece into his hand; "there's a great deal of poor in my own
parish." "Alas I thought, you are not a father. Indeed, sir," said the
poor man, "I thought you would have allowed me to keep the silver I gave
you, as how can we travel two-and-forty miles on this?" "I tell you,
my good man," said the priest, resuming a sterner tone, "I have done as
much for you as I can afford: and if every one gives you as much, you
won't be ill off."

The tears stood in the old man's eyes, as he fixed them hopelessly upon
his boy whilst the child looked ravenously at the money, trifling as it
was, and seemed to think of nothing except getting the worth of it of
food. As they left the priest, "Oh, come, come father," said the little
fellow, "come and let us get something to eat." "Easy, dear, till I draw
my breath a little, for, John I am weak; but the Lord is strong, and
will bring us home, if we put our trust in him; for if he's not more
merciful to his poor creatures, than some that acts in his name here,
John, we would have a bad chance." They here sat down on the ledge of
a rock, a few yards from the chapel, and I still remained bound to the
spot by the interest I felt in what I had just witnessed. "What do you
want, sir," said the priest to me; "did you get your ticket?" "I did,
sir," I replied; "but I hope