f the cathedral.

They went into the house. It was rather a hovel than a house; but, poor
as it was, it was as neat as misery could make it. The old woman was
sitting up in her wretched bed, winding worsted; four meagre,
ill-clothed, pale children were all busy, some of them sticking pins in
paper for the pin-maker, and others sorting rags for the paper-maker.

'What a horrid place it is!' said Hal, sighing; 'I did not know there
were such shocking places in the world. I've often seen
terrible-looking, tumble-down places, as we drove through the town in
mother's carriage; but then I did not know who lived in them, and I
never saw the inside of any of them. It is very dreadful, indeed, to
think that people are forced to live in this way. I wish mother would
send me some more pocket-money, that I might do something for them. I
had half a crown; but,' continued he, feeling in his pockets, 'I'm
afraid I spent the last shilling of it this morning upon those cakes
that made me sick. I wish I had my shilling now; I'd give it to _these
poor people_.'

Ben, though he was all this time silent, was as sorry as his talkative
cousin for all these poor people. But there was some difference between
the sorrow of these two boys.

Hal, after he was again seated in the hackney-coach, and had rattled
through the busy streets of Bristol for a few minutes, quite forgot the
spectacle of misery which he had seen, and the gay shops in Wine Street
and the idea of his green and white uniform wholly occupied his
imagination.

'Now for our uniforms!' cried he, as he jumped eagerly out of the coach,
when his uncle stopped at the woollen-draper's door.

'Uncle,' said Ben, stopping Mr. Gresham before he got out of the
carriage, 'I don't think a uniform is at all necessary for me. I'm very
much obliged to you, but I would rather not have one. I have a very good
coat, and I think it would be waste.'

'Well, let me get out of the carriage, and we will see about it,' said
Mr. Gresham. 'Perhaps the sight of the beautiful green and white cloth,
and the epaulette--have you ever considered the epaulettes?--may tempt
you to change your mind.'

'Oh, no,' said Ben, laughing; 'I shall not change my mind.'

The green cloth and the white cloth and the epaulettes were produced, to
Hal's infinite satisfaction. His uncle took up a pen, and calculated for
a few minutes. Then showing the back of the letter upon which he was
writing to his nephews:

'Cast u