sparrow on the housetop, wi' a sma'
annuitee o' thratty punds a year."

I remained in my situation (at the West-end of London) until the Spring of
the New Year. About that time, my master's health failed. The doctors
ordered him away to foreign parts, and the establishment was broken up.
But the turn in my luck still held good. When I left my place, I left
it--thanks to the generosity of my kind master--with a yearly allowance
granted to me, in remembrance of the day when I had saved my mistress's
life. For the future, I could go back to service or not, as I pleased; my
little income was enough to support my mother and myself.

My master and mistress left England toward the end of February. Certain
matters of business to do for them detained me in London until the last
day of the month. I was only able to leave for our village by the evening
train, to keep my birthday with my mother as usual. It was bedtime when I
got to the cottage; and I was sorry to find that she was far from well. To
make matters worse, she had finished her bottle of medicine on the
previous day, and had omitted to get it replenished, as the doctor had
strictly directed. He dispensed his own medicines, and I offered to go and
knock him up. She refused to let me do this; and, after giving me my
supper, sent me away to my bed.

I fell asleep for a little, and woke again. My mother's bed-chamber was
next to mine. I heard my aunt Chance's heavy footsteps going to and fro in
the room, and, suspecting something wrong, knocked at the door. My
mother's pains had returned upon her; there was a serious necessity for
relieving her sufferings as speedily as possible, I put on my clothes, and
ran off, with the medicine bottle in my hand, to the other end of the
village, where the doctor lived. The church clock chimed the quarter to
two on my birthday just as I reached his house. One ring of the night bell
brought him to his bedroom window to speak to me. He told me to wait, and
he would let me in at the surgery door. I noticed, while I was waiting,
that the night was wonderfully fair and warm for the time of year. The old
stone quarry where the carriage accident had happened was within view. The
moon in the clear heavens lit it up almost as bright as day.

In a minute or two the doctor let me into the surgery. I closed the door,
noticing that he had left his room very lightly clad. He kindly pardoned
my mother's neglect of his directions, and set to work at on