's hearts to give her money.
She took what I gave her gratefully, and entered warmly into all the
plans which we suggested for her future. It was agreed that she should
at once take a small furnished room, and go with her children to occupy
it. She said she had for some time had regular work as a charwoman for
three days in every week. This work she could still have; and I engaged
to get her some needlework from a working society, which might help to
occupy her spare time, and bring in a little money. The woman in whose
house she was staying told us that a sister of hers would willingly take
the eldest girl, who was eleven years old, as she wanted a girl to take
care of her baby while she looked after a small shop. She engaged that
for a year her sister should feed and clothe the girl, if she gave
satisfaction; and said that if she behaved herself, she was sure her
sister would keep her till she was old enough to get a better place.

It was pleasant to see how heartily Mrs. Martin entered into all these
arrangements as they were severally proposed, and the eager gladness of
Jane Hill's face as she listened to our plans, and, with the hopefulness
and inexperience of youth, evidently believed that each one was to lead
to competence, if not to actual wealth.

The fire did, indeed, in the end, prove to have been the greatest
blessing to the Martins. Many people were led to interest themselves in
the poor widow and her children, who would never have heard of them but
for it. Mrs. Martin got more work to do than she could get through, and
her children obtained situations as soon as they were old enough to work
for themselves. She never forgot the debt of gratitude she owed to Jane
Hill. 'But for her,' she said, 'she believed she would have moped
herself into her grave.'

The Christmas-day after the fire, I had the pleasure of taking to Jane a
nice, warm, winter cloak. She began to say, in a deprecating way, 'Oh,
ma'am, indeed it's far too kind! mine is quite good yet;' but I stopped
her, saying, 'No, Jane, you must not keep all the pleasure of giving to
yourself. Remember that to others, as well as to yourself, it is true
that "It is more blessed to give than to receive."'

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Catharine's Peril, or The Little
Russian Girl Lost in a Forest, by M. E. Bewsher

*** END OF THIS P