\"old and young, boy, let \"em all eat, i hāve it;let \"em hāve ten tire of teeth a-piece, i care not.\"

rollo, duke of normandy.

margaret went home so painfully occupied with what she had heard andseen that she hardly knew how to rouse herself up to the duties whichawaited her; the necessity for keeping up a constant flow of cheerfulconversation for her mother, who, now that she was unable to go out,always looked to margaret\"s return from the shortest walk as bringing insome news.

\"and can your factory friend e on thursday to see you dressed?\"

\"she was so ill i never thought of asking her,\" said margaret, dolefully.

\"dear! everybody is ill now, i think,\" said mrs. hale, with a little of thejealousy which one invalid is apt to feel of another. \"but it must be verysad to be ill in one of those little back streets.\" (her kindly natureprevailing, and the old helstone habits of thought returning.) \"it\"s badenough here. what could you do for her, margaret? mr. thornton hassent me some of his old port wine since you went out. would a bottle ofthat do her good, think you?\"

\"no, mamma! i don\"t believe they are very poor,--at least, they don\"tspeak as if they were; and, at any rate, bessy\"s illness is consumption-shewon\"t want wine. perhaps, i might take her a little preserve, made ofour dear helstone fruit. no! there\"s another family to whom i shouldlike to give--oh mamma, mamma! how am i to dress up in my finery,and go off and away to smart parties, after the sorrow i hāve seen today?\"

exclaimed margaret, bursting the bounds she had preordained forherself before she came in, and telling her mother of what she had seenand heard at higgins\"s cottage.

it distressed mrs. hale excessively. it made her restlessly irritated tillshe could do something. she directed margaret to pack up a basket inthe very drawing-room, to be sent there and then to the family; and wasalmost angry with her for saying, that it would not signify if it did notgo till morning, as she knew higgins had provided for their immediatewants, and she herself had left money with bessy. mrs. hale called herunfeeling for saying this; and never gāve herself breathing-time till thebasket was sent out of the house. then she said:

\"after all, we may hāve been doing wrong. it was only the last time mr.

thornton was here that he said, those were no true friends who helpedto prolong the struggle by assisting the turn outs. and this boucher-manwas a turn-out, was he not?\"

the question was referred to mr. hale by his wife, when he came upstairs,fresh from giving a lesson to mr. thornton, which had ended inconversation, as was their wont. margaret did not care if their gifts hadprolonged the strike; she did not think far enough for that, in her presentexcited state.

mr. hale listened, and tried to be as calm as a judge; he recalled all thathad seemed so clear not half-an-hour before, as it came out of mr.

thornton\"s lips; and then he made an unsatisfactory promise. hiswife and daughter had not only done quite right in this instance, but hedid not see for a moment how they could hāve done otherwise.