don't delude the child into any notion of
his own goodness; he cannot be good un-
less he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ."
"I do believe in him," said Willy.
"If you did you would be a new crea-
ture."

"But then you reckon the time given them for meals ?"

"No; I speak only of the time allowed for labour."

"Hush, hush," interrupted Parkins,

"Ten hours!" exclaimed Richard, looking at a group of small children; “ten "My farming," said Richard, who hav-hours for such little weak things as those ing imprinted the kiss of forgiveness on why, its more than an honest man Willy's tearful cheek now felt his heart would expect from the biggest labourer; lightened again," my farming, Mr. Parkins, and to my mind its a disgrace to a Chrishas reminded me often of our Lord's say-tian land to work the life-blood out of little ing First the blade, then the ear, then children in this way." the full corn in the ear;' and I have learned something when stepping care-"you speak too loud." fully to avoid trampling down the tender blade, though it was much unlike a full ripe ear. The bell rang, and Parkins took down his hat. Willy clasped his arms round his brother's neck, and earnestly whispered-"I will pray to the Lord to make me a clean heart." Then run-in the streets." ning to Parkins, he said, "I beg your pardon, sir, for being so rude and disrespectful: but as I had been after no good I didn't like to be questioned." Parkins kindly shook his hand, and said he was glad to see him sensible of his fault: thenish curiosity, he met nothing of the free, asked Richard if he would like to see the mill, as he could get him leave of admittance.

Richard declined for the present to enter the building; for he really feared to expose himself to more of Parkins' discouraging remarks just then. However, he stood for a while under the archway of the gate, through which the children were pouring in. Their extreme youth shocked him no less than their squalid appearance. "I wonder how any doctor could find in his heart to give a certificate to such a poor, feeble, sickly-looking babe of a creature as that," said he, pointing out a little girl.

"Is my little brother overworked, sir?" "No, really I think not; he is not in a laborious department, and though often fatigued, as all must be more or less by a full day's employment, he is not more so than he would be by taking his fill of play

"True enough," remarked Richard. “Boys tire themselves with sport if they are left to take their fill of it." He looked round him, but though many a little countenance was turned towards him in child

laughing, or innocently-sheepish expression that he was accustomed to trace among the villagers. He felt no wish to remain longer, and thanking Parkins for his civility, expressed a hope that he would be watchful over Willy.

"No medical certificates are required in good. I cannot deliver my brother, Mr. the silk-mills," answered Parkins.

"And are there many of them ?"

Parkins, it is true; but I can see to it that his blood does not lie at my door.

"Not here; but in other towns an im- Good bye, sir ;" and he left the mill. mense number."

Having eaten a piece of coarse bread,

"And do they take them in everywhere in order to say that he had dined, Richard as young as that?"

"Much younger; I have seen many in different silk-mills not nearly so big as the smallest you could point to here."

"How long do they work?"

proceeded to make some purchases of tea and other little comforts for the party at home, bitterly regretting that he had not brought a hamper of provisions from L. Painful doubts crossed his mind as to the

"As much as ten hours a day, often." extent of suffering endured by his family,

but he strove to disbelieve what it was so grievous to contemplate. While strolling along, he met with South, who invited him to go and sit down in a public-house; but Richard pleaded his promise given to Mr. Barlow, that unless in a case of actual necessity he would not enter a place where drinking was habitually carried on. "Well, then, we can walk together," said South; "I wonder how long it will be before our parsons take so much trouble to keep their young men out of harm's way."

"I only wish they may turn out Mary and Helen," remarked Richard.

"You had better wish no such thing; work is rather slack now; and depend upon it they would be kept out of employment for a long while, having appeared as complainants in open court. It is well they failed. Have you been to Parkins?" "Yes, and near the silk-mill, where they are working babes as I would not work a plough-horse."

"Nice infant schools, arn't they? and if you could hear some of the lessons taught "There are too many for them to look and learned by creatures no higher than after," observed Richard. your knee, you would know more of the value of the factory system."

"Ay, that's one of the blessings of an over-populous place. Not that it signifies much; for the quiet way in which the clergy look on while the poor are destroyed around them, shows how little they care about them, bodies or souls." Then, after a pause, he added, "To be sure they can do nothing except in the pulpit; and it would be an easier matter to preach all the mill-owners out of church than to preach one unjust and cruel principle out of the factory system. Do you remember, Green, the case tried yesterday, where children were overworked, and without school certificates?"

66 Yes, I do,"

"Well, this morning, I happened to be in the office of that very firm, and heard most strict orders given to shut the door in the superintendent's face whenever he came there never, on any pretence, to let him enter that mill again."

"I could not hate it more than I do," said Richard.

"Yes, you would; a religious young man like you, believing that the wicked shall be turned into hell, would be terribly shocked at seeing the whole process of making young sinners ready for perdition in the next world, while hurrying them out of this."

South was

Richard made no answer; the irritability of his feeling increased, and he had learned to watch against the rising storm, and to keep silence when disposed to speak intemperately. Besides, South was not one to whom he could unburden his mind. That person's information was evidently correct, and his remarks just; but they were uttered in a bad spirit. himself a specimen of the fruit produced by this evil tree. His health was injured by personal labour, yet not so much but "But surely he can insist upon it." that he might have turned to good account "No; the inspector can, but not the su- the remaining energies of the body whereperintendent, and considering how seldom in dwelt an acute and vigorous mind; but he comes, how short his stay must be, and that mind had been perverted, rendered at how many ways there are of baffling his once morbidly sensitive as to theory, and inquiries, there is little fear of his giving selfishly callous as to practice, in the matter any trouble, except where the superinten- that incessantly occupied it. He passed dent has been before him to direct his no- his time in denouncing the factory-system, tice; so you see that for the small sum of and even built upon it doctrines subversive five shillings in which the parties were of every good principle as a British subfined, they have purchased a security ject; but at the same time he purchased against all future molestation; this prose- the leisure thus misapplied at the price of cution giving an excuse for excluding the abandoning all his children to the horrors troublesome investigators." he so forcibly pictured and so eloquently "Why this looks like a mockery of pro- deplored. This conscious inconsistency tection," said Richard.

added gall to his bitterness, and while it led many right-minded persons to stand aloof from him, it increased his influence among a party who valued their leaders

according to their power of exciting the warmly, "I thank you, but really don't angry passions.

want it."

"O nonsense! you would'nt have come

Richard was not sorry to part from his companion at the next turning, and hast-out so late at night to borrow it, if you ened to the house so overclouded with sadness to his affectionate spirit.

hadn't wanted it. Besides, I think I'll make you a present of it, for the sake of those pretty rogues," looking at the girls, as he laid down the piece of money before the widow, and again nodding, bustled out.

Richard could not stand this; he seized the money, and was about to hurl it after the insulting donor, when Helen caught his arm, and Katy, nimbly jumping on a chair, snatched it suddenly from him, and darted out at the door, before any one could speak.

During the evening, while enjoying a temporary forgetfulness of present distresses in the delightful retrospection of former times, the little party was disturbed by the abrupt entrance of a person who seemed welcome to none, and whose presence excited an emotion of angry surprise in Richard's bosom, when he recognized the conceited-looking little man who had addressed Mary in the morning with so offensively familiar an allusion to Helen. Richard turned, and fixing on the agiHe never raised his hat from its studied tated widow a look of almost angry reposition on one side of his head, but loung-proach, exclaimed, “Oh, granny, how, ing in with an awkward shuffle, threw could you, how could you expose us to himself into a chair, stretched out his legs, this !" and with a patronizing nod asked, "How are you all ?"

The widow's distressed look, James' trepidation, and Helen's flush of evident displeasure, added to his own hostile sensations, tempted Richard to assume a very authoritative air, as he surveyed the intruder, who looked up at him with an expression of curiosity mingled with contempt, saying, "So this, I suppose, is the renowned Richard, of whom we have heard so much; a tall feller enough. How old may he be ?"

This roused the young countryman completely. He sprang to his feet, but was arrested and confounded by hearing the other resume," Well, grandmother, I came by mother's desire to tell you how sorry she is "

The widow hastily interrupted him,— ""Tis of no consequence, Charles; pray tell her not to think of it."

"Oh, we know better. It must be of some consequence to you to have a strapping chap like that come upon you with a country appetite, and nothing for him to eat. Mother would lend you the half crown if she could spare it just now, but she's some bargains to make. However, he added pompously, "I b'lieve I can let you have a shilling without much inconvenience," and he drew out a tawdry purse, whistling the while.

"It was to her own daughter she went," said James, "and how could granny suppose she would be so cruel as to publish it to that malicious Charles ?"

"Granny could expect no better," observed Mary, "from all she knew of aunt Wright; but beggars musn't be choosers."

"Beggars!" repeated Richard.

"If Katy is gone to lay it out for us, commenced James, who seemed roused beyond his strength, but Mary interrupted him, "Never fear; she has a spirit worth two of that; she's more likely to throw it in his face,"

The little girl re-entered, glowing and panting, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction, while Richard eagerly exclaimed, "Well, Katy, did you overtake him?"

"Sure and I did, sir; and I caught him by the coat-tail, and there being plenty of people to the face, I said, Mr. Charles, said I, here's a shilling for you. What do I want with it, you little Irish black-guard, says he. Sure, an't you heartily welcome to it then, says I; and I dropped it right into his coat-pocket, and ran away through the people, and they laughing. Och, but its mad he was!"

"Served him right," said James, "If he had done it with a kind feeling, we ought to have overlooked the manner of it; but he came to insult our poverty, and

"I do not want it," said the widow expose us before Richard."

"Yes," said "Richard is a stranger now, it seems, and must be kept in the dark as to your concerns, unless others choose to inform him of them. Oh, I did not expect this!" He laid his head on his arms, and trembled with the mental agony that overpowered him.

his brother bitterly,

None had courage to speak. They felt that any farther attempt at concealment was vain, but to pierce that loving heart with the tale of their deep distresses was a task that none could undertake. At this juncture Willy, who always came in later than the rest, entered; and seeing his brother in such evident distress, ran to him, folding his arms round his neck, and exclaiming,

"Richard, I will be good, indeed I will, and never grieve you any more. Oh," he continued, seeing tears escape over the coat sleeve, "Oh, how sorry I am to have made you unhappy! Won't you speak to me, Richard, your own poor little Willy that you used to love so dearly?"

Richard clasped him to his bosom, and for some moments all wept in silence together.

Mary first spoke: "It's no use keeping up any pretence now, granny; so let him know all. He won't love us the less, and perhaps some of us may be the better for a little humbling."

"All of us," I hope, said James.

I

"No; the rest of you don't need it. meant myself, for you are none of you proud and hard-hearted like me."

"Mary," said Richard, drawing her to him, "it almost consoles me for all that can happen to hear you speak so."

CHAPTER XVIII.

EFFORTS FOR RELIEF.

WHEN, on the following day, Richard Green repaired to the gentleman on whose business he came, the latter, struck by the dejection of his countenance, inquired whether he was ill. Richard answered, that he was better in body than in mind: and on being kindly encouraged, owned that he had suffered a grievous disappointment in finding that the factory labour, for which his family had given up the healthful employments of the country, was so very different a thing from what they expected to find it. Of pecuniary distress he said nothing; but expatiated on the ruinous severity of the toil, and the demoralizing tendency of their habits. To all this his hearer most feelingly assented, and told him that he was busily engaged in forwarding the objects of those who sought to obtain legislatorial redress for the crying evils so generally felt. This was a joyful surprise to poor Richard, and with eager delight he accepted a ticket that was to admit him to a select meeting of the labourers, about to assemble for the consideration and adoption of future plans. "So, then," thought Richard, as he left the house with a lighter heart than he had felt for two days, "so, then, after all, there is some good stirring. I wonder why South did not tell me of this."

An

Full of anxious expectation, he repaired' to the place of meeting; and found about twenty men assembled, principally of the appearance of artizans, but with one or With these softening circumstances to two from a higher class in society. stay the rough wind in the day of the east air of seriousness pervaded the assemblage, wind, Richard listened quietly to the sad and the general aspect of the men bespoke tale of disasters and privations which, but the quiet determination that is not soon for the spiteful proceeding of Charles turned from its purpose. Several bore the Wright, would have been withheld from marks of bodily injury sustained in the fachim. Still there was a partial conceal-tories, some were much stunted in growth, ment: past, rather than present difficulties and there was not one among them who found the subject of what was told and would in the country have been called a he was left to conclude that no farther pressure of actual want was likely to fall upon the objects of his fond and anxious sympathy.

:

healthy-looking person. They were earnest but calm, and the curiosity that Richard's appearance evidently gave rise to was unmixed with rudeness or suspicion.

A well-dressed respectable-looking man, seated at a table, with a pile of papers before him, invited the stranger to approach,

and after looking at his ticket, observed, | others; and one gentleman had ventured "You got this from our good friend Mr. H., and that is sufficient introduction; but perhaps you will be kind enough to tell us what led you to join us; you don't look like one who has been in the mills." Richard felt a little abashed, but sum-wrote, "the matter was not taken up by moning resolution, replied, "True, sir, I never wrought in a factory; my labour, through God's mercy, has been in the country; but those that are dearer to me than my life are in the mills, and suffering enough to make me feel it more than if it was myself."