one his wery best to conker me. Of
all the trying inwalieges in this walley of the shadder, that one beats
'em black and blue.'

It was the practice of Mrs Gamp and her friends in the profession, to
say this of all the easy customers; as having at once the effect of
discouraging competitors for office, and accounting for the necessity of
high living on the part of the nurses.

'Talk of constitooshun!' Mrs Gamp observed. 'A person's constitooshun
need be made of bricks to stand it. Mrs Harris jestly says to me, but
t'other day, "Oh! Sairey Gamp," she says, "how is it done?" "Mrs Harris,
ma'am," I says to her, "we gives no trust ourselves, and puts a deal
o'trust elsevere; these is our religious feelins, and we finds 'em
answer." "Sairey," says Mrs Harris, "sech is life. Vich likeways is the
hend of all things!"'

The barber gave a soft murmur, as much as to say that Mrs Harris's
remark, though perhaps not quite so intelligible as could be desired
from such an authority, did equal honour to her head and to her heart.

'And here,' continued Mrs Gamp, 'and here am I a-goin twenty mile in
distant, on as wentersome a chance as ever any one as monthlied ever
run, I do believe. Says Mrs Harris, with a woman's and a mother's
art a-beatin in her human breast, she says to me, "You're not a-goin,
Sairey, Lord forgive you!" "Why am I not a-goin, Mrs Harris?" I replies.
"Mrs Gill," I says, "wos never wrong with six; and is it likely,
ma'am--I ast you as a mother--that she will begin to be unreg'lar now?
Often and often have I heerd him say," I says to Mrs Harris, meaning Mr
Gill, "that he would back his wife agen Moore's almanack, to name the
very day and hour, for ninepence farden. IS it likely, ma'am," I says,
"as she will fail this once?" Says Mrs Harris "No, ma'am, not in the
course of natur. But," she says, the tears a-fillin in her eyes, "you
knows much betterer than me, with your experienge, how little puts us
out. A Punch's show," she says, "a chimbley sweep, a newfundlan dog, or
a drunkin man a-comin round the corner sharp may do it." So it may, Mr
Sweedlepipes,' said Mrs Gamp, 'there's no deniging of it; and though my
books is clear for a full week, I takes a anxious art along with me, I
do assure you, sir.'

'You're so full of zeal, you see!' said Poll. 'You worrit yourself so.'

'Worrit myself!' cried Mrs Gamp, raising her hands and turning up her
eyes. 'You speak truth in that, sir, if you never speaks no more 'twi