She ate, only because she knew that, unless, she took food, she would not have strength to perform her duties to her children.

For a long series of years, her system had been accustomed to the generous excitement of tea at the evening meal.

A cup of good tea had become almost indispensable to her.

It braced her system, cleared her head, and refreshed her after the unremitting toils of the day.

But, for some time past, she had felt called upon, for the sake of her children, to deny herself this luxury--no, comfort--no, this, to her, one of the necessaries of life.