ewhat aback by the nature
and brevity of the answer, "that of course; but I meant, how do you
proceed? What is the method, and what the machinery that you put in
motion?"

"Perhaps," said the missionary, drawing a small pamphlet from his
pocket, "this will furnish you with all the information you desire. You
can read it over to Miss Diana at your leisure--and don't return it; I
have plenty more. Meanwhile I may briefly state that the mission
premises are in George Yard, High Street, Whitechapel, one of the worst
parts of the east of London, where the fire of sin and crime rages most
fiercely; where the soldiers of the Cross are comparatively few, and
would be overwhelmed by mere numbers, were it not that they are
invincible, carrying on the war as they do in the strength of Him who
said, `Lo, I am with you alway.'

"In the old coaching days," continued Mr Seaward, "this was a great
centre, a starting-point for mail-coaches. For nigh thirty years the
mission has been there. The `Black Horse' was a public-house in George
Yard, once known to the magistrates as one of the worst gin-shops and
resort of thieves and nurseries of crime in London. That public-house
is now a shelter for friendless girls, and a place where sick children
of the poor are gratuitously fed."

From this point the missionary went off into a graphic account of
incidents illustrative of the great work done by the mission, and
succeeded in deeply interesting both Diana and her father, though the
latter held himself well in hand, knowing, as he was fond of remarking,
that there were two sides to every question.

Checking his visitor at one point, he said, "You have mentioned ragged
schools and the good that is done by them, but why should not the
school-boards look after such children?"

"Because, Sir Richard, the school-boards cannot reach them. There are
upwards of 150,000 people in London who have never lived more than three
months in one place. No law reaches this class, because they do not
stay long enough in any neighbourhood for the school-board authorities
to put the law into operation. Now, nearly three hundred of the
children of these wanderers meet in our Free Ragged Day Schools twice a
day for instruction. Here we teach them as efficiently as we can in
secular matters, and of course they are taught the Word of God, and told
of Jesus the Saviour of sinners; but our difficulties are great, for
children as well as parents are often