arsely, pointing to a kind of
bundle on the ground. 'That's a dead child. I and five hundred other
men were thrown out of work, three months ago. That is my third dead
child, and last. Do you think I have charity to bestow, or a morsel of
bread to spare?'

The child recoiled from the door, and it closed upon her. Impelled by
strong necessity, she knocked at another: a neighbouring one, which,
yielding to the slight pressure of her hand, flew open.

It seemed that a couple of poor families lived in this hovel, for two
women, each among children of her own, occupied different portions of
the room. In the centre, stood a grave gentleman in black who appeared
to have just entered, and who held by the arm a boy.

'Here, woman,' he said, 'here's your deaf and dumb son. You may thank
me for restoring him to you. He was brought before me, this morning,
charged with theft; and with any other boy it would have gone hard, I
assure you. But, as I had compassion on his infirmities, and thought
he might have learnt no better, I have managed to bring him back to
you. Take more care of him for the future.'

'And won't you give me back MY son!' said the other woman, hastily
rising and confronting him. 'Won't you give me back MY son, Sir, who
was transported for the same offence!'

'Was he deaf and dumb, woman?' asked the gentleman sternly.

'Was he not, Sir?'

'You know he was not.'

'He was,' cried the woman. 'He was deaf, dumb, and blind, to all that
was good and right, from his cradle. Her boy may have learnt no
better! where did mine learn better? where could he? who was there to
teach him better, or where was it to be learnt?'

'Peace, woman,' said the gentleman, 'your boy was in possession of all
his senses.'

'He was,' cried the mother; 'and he was the more easy to be led astray
because he had them. If you save this boy because he may not know
right from wrong, why did you not save mine who was never taught the
difference? You gentlemen have as good a right to punish her boy, that
God has kept in ignorance of sound and speech, as you have to punish
mine, that you kept in ignorance yourselves. How many of the girls and
boys--ah, men and women too--that are brought before you and you don't
pity, are deaf and dumb in their minds, and go wrong in that state, and
are punished in that state, body and soul, while you gentlemen are
quarrelling among yourselves whether they ought to learn this or
that?--Be a