9/19 Merely in hearing his news she was blanched with dread. She could only point to the door of the front room--the only one rented by the family since Jane Snowdon's occupation of the other had taught them to be as economical in this respect as their neighbours were. Two months had passed since his latest visit, and he observed that in the meantime everything had become more squalid. The floor, the window, the furniture, were not kept so clean as formerly--inevitable result of the overcrowding of a room; the air was bad, the children looked untidy. The large bed had not been set in order since last night; in it lay the baby, crying as always, ailing as it had done from the day of its birth. |