'She can do nothing for the children; she cannot have a moment's quiet or a moment's comfort, with all those grimy noisy creatures rushing in and out.

I found her sitting up in bed yesterday, in danger of breaking a blood-vessel through coughing, because one of the imps had fallen down and cut his head and she was trying to plaster it.' 'Her husband ought to be with her,' I said, somewhat indignantly.
'He is on a job somewhere, and cannot come home; they must have bread to eat, and he must work.

This is the house,' pointing to a low white cottage at the end of a long straggling street of similar houses; two or three untidy-looking children were playing in the front garden with some oyster-shells and a wooden horse without a head.

One little white-headed urchin clapped his hands when he saw Mr.Hamilton, and a pretty little girl with a very dirty face ran up to him and clasped him round the knee.
''As 'oo any pennies to-day ?' she lisped.
'No nonsense; run away, children,' he said, in a rough voice that did not in the least alarm them, for they scampered after us into the porch until an elder girl, with a year-old baby in her arms, met us on the threshold and scolded them away.
Mr.Hamilton shook a big stick at them.
'I shall give no pennies to children with dirty faces.

Well, Peggy, how is mother?
Have the boys gone to school, both of them?
That is right.
This is the lady who is coming to look after mother.' Here Peggy dropped a courtesy, and said, 'Yes, sir,' and 'yes please, mum.' 'Mind you do all she tells you.