t. Mrs. Smith merely laid it smooth,
while the children took off their clothes, which they threw in heaps
upon the floor, and then scrambled into bed, without either nightgown or
night-cap. Mrs. Smith then looked round the room, and said:

'I must now contrive a bed for you, child.'

I looked round, too, but did not see anything that seemed to me likely
to answer such a purpose. There were, indeed, several heaps of dirty old
clothes, but they did not appear to me fit for anything but to burn, or
to send away among the ashes. Mrs. Smith, however, approached one of
them, and said:

'Here, child, you may pick out plenty of clothes, and spread them upon
the floor, and I will give you an old blanket to cover you: then, I
think, you will do very well.'

I went to the heap, and my heart heaved with sickness and disgust as I
lifted up dirty old coats, trousers, waistcoats, and gowns. It seemed as
if all the old clothes of the family for the last ten years had been
collected into this room; and out of this mass of litter I was to make
my bed. This was, indeed, heart-breaking to me, for all my life I had
been accustomed to cleanliness, even when in the workhouse; for there,
though we lived hard and slept hard, yet everything was clean.

'What is the girl thinking about?' said Mrs. Smith angrily. 'Pick out a
few things and make your bed. I cannot stand waiting upon you for half
an hour.'

I did not dare to answer, but picked out a few of the things that looked
the least dirty, and spread them upon the floor. Mrs. Smith then went
downstairs, and in a few minutes brought me up an old blanket, which she
threw upon the floor, saying:

'I cannot stay any longer; it is moonlight, and you must make your bed,
and go to it as you can.'

She then went away, and I was no sooner alone than, seating myself upon
the floor, I wept most bitterly.

'How unhappy I am!' thought I. 'Every change I make is for the worse.
When I left my nurse I was worse off at the workhouse; and now I have
left the workhouse I am worse off here; and my father--I shall never see
him more, for he will never find me in such a dirty place as this.'

Again I wept, but, being overpowered with sleep, I wrapped the blanket
round me, and, laying myself upon the old clothes I had spread upon the
floor, I was soon in a sound sleep.

I was awakened the next morning at an early hour by Mr. Smith knocking
at the room door, and telling me to make haste down and light th