he could hear the wail of her child, the
little voice rising and falling, and she was impatient to be back
with it, to still its cries and console the little heart, that was
frightened at the presence of strangers and separation from its
mother.

Through all the time that she was in court, Mehetabel was listening
for the voice of the little one, and paying far more attention to
that, than to the evidence produced against her.

It was not till Mehetabel was removed to Kingston on Thames and put
in the prison to await her trial, that the full danger that menaced
was realized by her, and then it was mainly as it affected her
child, that it alarmed her. Life had not been so precious, that
she valued it, save for the sake of this feeble child so dependent
on her for everything.

Her confidence in justice was no longer great. Ever since her
marriage--indeed, ever since Mrs. Verstage had turned against her,
she had been buffeted by Fortune, devoid of friends. Why should a
Court of Justice treat her otherwise than had the little world
with which she had been brought in contact.

In Kingston prison the wife of the jailer was kind, and took a
fancy to the unhappy young mother. She sat with and talked to her.

"If they hang me," said Mehetabel, "what will become of my baby?"

"It will go to a relation."

"It has no relations but Sally Rocliffe, and she has ill-wished it.
She will be unkind to it, she wants it to die; and if it lives,
she will speak to my child unkindly of me."

She wiped her eyes. "I cannot bear to think of that. I might make
up my mind to die, if I knew my baby would be kindly cared for and
loved--though none could love it and care for it as I do. But I
could not die thinking it was taught that I was a bad woman, and
heard untrue things said of me every day. I know Sally, she would
do that. I had rather my child went on the parish, as I did, than
that Sally Rocliffe should have it. I was a charity girl, and I
was well cared for by Susanna Verstage, but that was a chance, or
rather a Providence, and I know very well there are not many
Susanna Verstages in the world. There is not another in Thursley,
no, nor in Witley either."

"Your child could not go on the parish. Your husband, as I have
been told, had a freehold of his own and some money."

"He lost all his money."

"But the farm was his, and that must be worth a few hundred pounds,
so that it would not be possible for the child to go on the pari