bessy lay back without taking any notice of what margaret said. shedid not cry--she only quivered up her breath,\"my heart\"s drained dry o\" tears,\" she said. \"boucher\"s been in these dayspast, a telling me of his fears and his troubles. he\"s but a weak kind o\"

chap, i know, but he\"s a man for a\" that; and tho\" i\"ve been angry, many atime afore now, wi\" him an\" his wife, as knew no more nor him how tomanage, yet, yo\" see, all folks isn\"t wise, yet god lets \"em live--ay, an\"

gives \"em some one to love, and be loved by, just as good as solomon.

an\", if sorrow es to them they love, it hurts \"em as sore as e\"er it did

solomon. i can\"t make it out. perhaps it\"s as well such a one as boucherhas th\" union to see after him. but i\"d just like for to see th\" mean asmake th\" union, and put \"em one by one face to face wi\" boucher. ireckon, if they heard him, they\"d tell him (if i cotched \"em one by one),he might go back and get what he could for his work, even if it weren\"tso much as they ordered.\"

margaret sat utterly silent. how was she ever to go away into fortand forget that man\"s voice, with the tone of unutterable agony, tellingmore by far than his words of what he had to suffer? she took out herpurse; she had not much in it of what she could call her own, but whatshe had she put into bessy\"s hand without speaking.

\"thank yo\". there\"s many on \"em gets no more, and is not so bad off,-leastwaysdoes not show it as he does. but father won\"t let \"em want,now he knows. yo\" see, boucher\"s been pulled down wi\" his childer,-andher being so cranky, and a\" they could pawn has gone this lasttwelvemonth. yo\"re not to think we\"d ha\" letten \"em clem, for all we\"re abit pressed oursel\"; if neighbours doesn\"t see after neighbours, i dunnowho will.\" bessy seemed almostafraid lest margaret should think theyhad not the will, and, to a certain degree, the power of helping onewhom she evidently regarded as hāving a claim upon them. \"besides,\"

she went on, \"father is sure and positive the masters must give in withinthese next few days,--that they canna hould on much longer. but i thankyo\" all the same,--i thank yo\" for mysel\", as much as for boucher, for itjust makes my heart warm to yo\" more and more.\"

bessy seemed much quieter to-day, but fearfully languid a exhausted.

as she finished speaking, she looked so faint and weary that margaretbecame alarmed.

\"it\"s nout,\" said bessy. \"it\"s not death yet. i had a fearfu\" night wi\" dreams-orsomewhat like dreams, for i were wide awake--and i\"m all in aswounding daze to-day,--only yon poor chap made me alive again. no!

it\"s not death yet, but death is not far off. ay! cover me up, and i\"ll maybe sleep, if th\" cough will let me. good night--good afternoon, m\"appeni should say--but th\" light is dim an\" misty to-day.\"

..。

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