Mrs.Brown loved young people, and in fact human creatures in general, above plates and linen.

They were more like a lot of elder children than servants, and felt to her more as a mother or aunt than as a mistress.
Tom's nurse was one who took in her instruction very slowly--she seemed to have two left hands and no head; and so Mrs.Brown kept her on longer than usual, that she might expend her awkwardness and forgetfulness upon those who would not judge and punish her too strictly for them.
Charity Lamb was her name.

It had been the immemorial habit of the village to christen children either by Bible names, or by those of the cardinal and other virtues; so that one was for ever hearing in the village street or on the green, shrill sounds of "Prudence! Prudence! thee cum' out o' the gutter;" or, "Mercy! drat the girl, what bist thee a-doin' wi' little Faith ?" and there were Ruths, Rachels, Keziahs, in every corner.

The same with the boys: they were Benjamins, Jacobs, Noahs, Enochs.

I suppose the custom has come down from Puritan times.
There it is, at any rate, very strong still in the Vale.
Well, from early morning till dewy eve, when she had it out of him in the cold tub before putting him to bed, Charity and Tom were pitted against one another.