See her clinchin' them little fists!" This was when Miss Silence came near her and brought her rather severe countenance close to the child for inspection of its features.

The ungracious aspect of the woman and the defiant attitude of the child prefigured in one brief instant the history of many long coming years.
It was not a great while before the two parties in that wearing conflict of alien lives, which is often called education, began to measure their strength against each other.

The child was bright, observing, of restless activity, inquisitively curious, very hard to frighten, and with a will which seemed made for mastery, not submission.
The stern spinster to whose care this vigorous life was committed was disposed to discharge her duty to the girl faithfully and conscientiously; but there were two points in her character and belief which had a most important bearing on the manner in which she carried out her laudable intentions.

First, she was one of that class of human beings whose one single engrossing thought is their own welfare,--in the next world, it is true, but still their own personal welfare.

The Roman Church recognizes this class, and provides every form of specific to meet their spiritual condition.