U
ILLINO

I S

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PRODUCTION NOTE
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign Library
Brittle Books Project, 2012.

COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION
In Public Domain.
Published prior to 1923.

This digital copy was made from the printed version held
by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
It was made in compliance with copyright law.
Prepared for the Brittle Books Project, Main Library,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
by
Northern Micrographics
Brookhaven Bindery
La Crosse, Wisconsin
2012

144

BY

THE

RO F.O)'E R, AXA.

I'

---

'

SRowlands

"' a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which
By
govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by
a careful application of the fine properties of well-selected
CocoA, Mr. Epps has provided our breakfast tables with
a delicately flavoured beverage which may save us many
heavy doctors' bills. It is by the judicious use of such
articles of diet that a constitution may be gradually built
up until strong enough to resist every tendency to disease.

Kalydor

GRATEFUL-COMFORTING.

EPPS'S

Produces soft, fair Skin and a lovely delicate complexion,
removes Freckles, Tan, Sunburn, Redness and Roughness
of the Skin, and is warranted harmless to the most delicate
Skin. Bottles, 4/6; Half-bottles, 2/3.

(BREAKFAST)

ESTABLISHED 1851.

8IR1BECK

BAN,

COCOA

Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
THREE per CENT. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS,
repayable on demand.
TWO per CENT. on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, when not
drawn below £i oo.
STOCKS, SHARES, and ANNUITIES purchased & sold.

BOILING WATER OR MILK.

SAYINGS DEPARTMENT.
For the encouragement of Thrift the Bank receives small
sums on deposit, and allows Interest, at the rate of THREE
PER CENT. per annum, on each completed £i. The Interest
is added to the principal on 31st March annually.
FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager.

Hundreds of subtle maladies are floating around us,
ready to attack wherever there is a weak point. We may
escape many a fatal shaft by keeping ourselves well fortified with pure blood and a properly nourished frame."
-Civil Service Gazette. Sold only in packets, by Grocers,
labelled-"JAMES EPPs & Co., Homoeopathic Chemists,"
170, Piccadilly, and 48. Threadneedle Street; Works,
Holland Street, Blackfriars, London.

HOW TO PURCHASE A HOUSE FOR TWO
GUINEAS PER MONTH, OR A PLOT OF LAND
FOR FIVE SHILLINGS PER MONTH, with immediate
possession. Apply at the Office of the BIRKBECK FREEHOLD
LAND SOCIETY.
The BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, post
free.
FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager.

PENTTY
Illustrated.

~-

LIT With PictorialPaper Wrapper.
E'ATITR

E.L

Demy 8vo.

STORIES.
By the Rev. P. B. POWER, Author of" THE OILED FEATHER."
BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH. I "HE'S GONE YONDER."
IT ONLY WANTS TURNING ROUND.
A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE.
THE CHOIR BOY OF HARLESTONE MINSTER. THE GOLD THAT WOULD'NT GO.

BIOGRAPJHIES.
ABRAHAM

LINCOLN,, FARMER'S BOY

PRESIDENT.

AND

I DAVID LIVINGSTONE.

I

POPlJIAR

THE GREAT AFRICAN

PIONEER.

TAHES.

(Imperial 8vo.), 16 pages, illustrated. With Paper Wrapper.
AN EVENTFUL NIGHT, and What Came of it.
THE TWO WHALERS; or, Adventuresinthe Pacific.
THE LILY OF LEYDEN.
By the late W. H. G. THE TWO
HALERS
or, Adventures in the Pacific
By the late W. By the late W. H.
KINGsTON.
ROB NIXON. H. G. KINGSTON. G. KINGSTON.
KINGSTON.
MOGGY ; or, the Stoning of the Witch. WHITER THAN SNOW.
MOUNTAIN
By the late W. H. G. KINGSTON.
LONDON:

3,

NORTHUMBERLAND

Send a Post Card to

the PURE WA TER COM-

AVENUE,

CHARING

CROSS,

W.C.

T$E

ANTI-PICKPOCKET PURSE.
Pickpockets can't get it.
Highly

Road, Battersea, for a list
of their

recommended

by

the

Press.

For

description and recommendation, see "Cassell's
Magazine" (Spt. 1889), &c.

In
Solid Lieather, post free, is.Id.

PURE DRIN K S.DLondon,

HERBERT ANDERSON,
W.

16,

Hammersmith Terrace,

The Trade supplied.

HOME.

HOUSE AND

BY THE

REV.

P.

B.

POWER,

M.A.,

Author of " The Oiled Feather." etc,

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTEE.

LONDON:
SOCIETY

FOR

CHRISTIAN

PROMOTING

KNOWLEDGE,

NQRTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, W.C.; 43, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C.;
97, WESTBOURNE GROVE,

W.

BRIGHTON : i35, NORTH STREET.

NEW YORK:

E. &

J.

13. YOUNG & CO.

HOUSE AND
CHAPTER I.

M ISS

DOROTHEA

GIB.

BINS was, at the time
of which I write, about forty-four
years of age. In figure she was
very short, somewhere about five
feet nothing; in countenance she
not onily had been comely, but
was so still. She was unmarried;
as the world would describe her,
she would have been called an
old maid.
It is wonderful what pluck
most little women have. If I
wanted a travelling companion
across the Great Desert, and
over the Mountains of the Moon,
and down to New Zealand, and
home round India in the height
of its summer, and by Lapland
in the depth of its winter, I
think I should pick out some
little woman about five feet
nothing. And if I wanted some
one to sit up 120 nights, right
straight on end, and to be as
fresh when the end came as at
the beginning; then, if such a
prodigy of endurance could
be found, depend upon it, the
little five foot nothing would
be to the fore; and, without
winking, or blinking, would

HOME.

only ask for five minutes' snooze,
and she would be ready to
begin again.
And such a plucky little creature was our friend Dorothea.
She was ready for any work, or
any amount of it; she had no
long back, or long limbs to get
tired; her little legs were always
ready to carry her little body
anywhere; and she was quite
ready to undertake what nobody
else would do.
And now, good reader, the
Rev. Stephen Pitt is seated in
Miss Gibbins' parlour at tea.
Mr. Pitt drinks a great deal of tea
-a great deal more than is good
for him-for tea affects the
nerves. He has had three cups
already; and Miss Gibbins is
holding out her hand for his cup,
that she may give him a fourth.
She has not asked him whether
he would like it; she has taken
that for granted. She knows that
four is his number--neither more,
'nor less.
"'My dear Miss Gibbins," said
the worthy old gentleman, after
having been to all appearance
for some time in a kind of dream;
"My dear Miss Gibbins "-" Well! Mr. Pitt."

HOUSE AND HOME.

"My dear Miss Gibbins, I'm
'
come to my wit's end."
" Why what is the matter ? "
asked Dorothea.
"Those people ' Straggles,'
at the other end of the parish,
are the plague of my life."

of my life, and of the parish's
life; nobody will ever go down
the lane to the house, and I've
had a message to-day, to say that
the man Straggles has been beating his wife; and that the boy
Straggles is in the lock-up for

--

" I never heard of them," said
Dorothea.
"Perhaps not, my dear Miss
Gibbins. I can't get any one to
undertake them, now Miss Champ
has left; and they're the plague

_---_--_

throwing stones; and that the
girl Straggles has a black eye;
and that the landlord has sent to
say that, he will turn them out
on, Saturday; and I have been
thinking, my dear Mliss Gibbins,"
A.S

HOUSE AND HOME.

-and here the good man went dozen steps up cried, " Who are
off into a dreamy kind of state you, and what do you want ?"
again,--"Oh! StraggleS,Straggles
"I'm Bet Straggles," said the
-that is what we were talking intruder picking herself up, and
about, my dear Miss Gibbins, sitting in the hall chair with her
when I left off-I have been legs straight out before her.
"Please go out," said Susan;
thinking that, unless you take
them up, I don't know what will " and I'll come to the door to
become of them; but that is you."
hardly fair. Straggles would"Now I'm in, I'll stay in,"
excuse me, my dear Miss Gibbins, said Miss Straggles, with a leer
not pleasant to look at.
perhaps I ought not to say itbut Straggles would only make
"But what do you want ?"
one mouthful of you if he were asked Susan, ready to promise
angry; and perhaps I ought not anything for her unwelcome
to subject you to any harm."
visitor, if only she would go.
"I am not afraid of Mr. Strag"I want Mr. Pitt, the minister,"
gles," said Dorothea quietly; said Bet. "Mother says I'm not
" but I have already as much on to come home until I've seen him,
hand as I can do; and if I go and until he gives me a loaf of
to him, I must neglect some one bread, for we're starving.
I've
else."
been up to the parsonage, and
"Well, I'll take any one you they told me Mr. Pitt was here;
like off your list," said the and now I've got in here, I won't
minister, "if only you will un- go out again easily."
dertake these unhappy people."
"Only, just while I go upWhile the good man was spek- stak" said susan, looking iming, there came a violent pull ploringly.
at the bell; and MIa Ibbins'
"Not while you ik
your
neat little maidw
want to the eye," said Bet.
door.
" I'll give you some shrimps if
Scarce, however, had she opened you do," said Susan, still looking
it, ere she ran back in horror imploringly, "even if you stand
and fright: such a wild, lawless, outside, I declare I will."
shoeless creature tumbled into the
This temptation was too much
passage. The girl, having rung for Bet Straggles. She told Susan
the bell, leaned hard against the to get the shrimps; and then
door ; and as a consequence, tum- she'd stand outside.
bled in as soon as it was opened.
The kitchenwas hard by, and it
' Mercy on us ;" cried Susan was but one moment's work for
Tozey as she fled to the foot of Susan to make a dart to it, plunge
the stairs, and standing half-a- her hand into what shrithps were

11OUSE AND HOME.

teft out ofwhat she had bought that
morning, and throw them into
the ragged garment which Bet
Straggles held up for them.
" They're jolly," cried Bet,
moving slowly, and sulkily, and
suspiciously to the door.
"You must let me shut the
door," said Susan.
" So you may, Sweety," answered the girl, "-with my foot
in the slit," and she placed her
foot, with the remnants of a man's
boot on it, in the opening.
"You can chain up if you're
afeared I'll go in," said Bet,
twisting off a shrimp's head.
"You have the chain, and I'll
have my foot; and then we'll be

even.'
It was all Susan could hope
for under the circumstances; so,
hooking on- the chain, she ran
upstairs as quickly as she
could.
" Miss Gibbins, ma'am ! MTr.
Pitt, sir! there's a person below
wants Mr. Pitt ,!"
' Who is it ? " asked Miss
Oibbins.
S"'Tis a girl. Oh, sudc a girl!'"
"Have you left her in the
hall? " asked Dorothea in alarm;
"perhaps she'll take off Mr. Pitt's
coat and hat."
"No," said Susan, " she's outside the door, with her foot in
between, so that I can't shut it;
but 'tis on the chain, so she can't
Come in."
"'We must go down," said
Dorothea.
"'Come, Mr.' Pitt,

we'll go together, and see what
she wants."
Down they went, and the first
object which met their eyes was
the leg with a man's boot thrust
in.
"Who are you, and what do
you want?" asked Miss Gibbins.
" Who am I ? " answered a
voice half choked up with shrimps.
"I'm Straggles, Bet Straggles,
and I want Mr. Pitt."
"Well, go round to the back
door,"' said Susan.
" None of your gammon now, ' '
said the voice.
"Aint my foot
in at the front door, and d'ye
think I'll go round to the back to
find it shut ? Hah! hah ! hah ! "
cried Straggles.
"You will not find it shut,"
said Dorothea in a gentle voice,
"I'll open it myself; and Mr.
Pitt and I will see you in the
kitchen."
The gentle voice seemed to
overcome the enemy, and Bet
replied :"Are ye in earnest now'?
Well, yer voice sounds as if ye
were. I'll start, if the girl puts
another handful ofshrimps through
the door."
" You shall not onljr hav
shrimps," said Dorothea, " but
you shall have a slice of bread
and butter to eat with them.
Susan, fetch a slice."
"I can't see ye," said Bet,
" but you sound like a good one.
But will Mr. Pitt go round to the
kitchen ? Mother says I'm to see

HOUSE AND HOME.

him; and if I go home without,
I'll get finely cut about."
"'Oh yes, I'll be there too,"'
said the minister.
" Hand out the shrimps, then,"
said Bet, " and I'11 go round."
The appearance of Miss Straggles was such, when she presented
herself in Dorothea's kitchen, as
to account for Susan's horror; and
her great anxiety to get her both
from the hall, and the front door.
That young lady, now sixteen
years of age, was a tall, thin,
lanky-looking girl, with hair uncombed, and face unwashed for
many a long day. She wore on
the present occasion the remnants
of a red petticoat, dispensing with
a frock altogether; and tied across
her shoulders was, what had in its
palmy days been, a red pocketHer feet were
handkerchief.
encased in a shoe, and the remnant
of a man's boot; and altogether,
she was not a desirable person to
be seen in one's hall, or even
standing at the front door. Audacity and dirt dividedBet Straggles'
face between them; and yet, there
was in Bet's eye a kindly look at
times. It came but for a moment;
still it did come; and it belonged
to a certain feeling somewhere
deep down in Bet's nature, which
made her help her infant brother
to make mud pies; though she
herself had passed beyond the
enjoyment of such dainties, and
went in rather for such oranges
and apples as she could pick up, or
make away with, from the market.

When this strange-looking
creature appeared before Miss
Gibbins, this lady expressed
neither surprise, nor disgust. She
looked sorrowfully at the miserable girl, who, still eating the
shrimps and bread and butter,
addressed the minister the moment
she saw him.
" Mother says we're starving,
and 'tis true, so we are; and she
says you are to send her a fourpound loaf, and I wish," said Bet
on her own account, " that you'd
give us a pound of sausages too,
or a bit of liver, or something
good to eat with it."
Mr. Pitt looked at Miss Gibbins
as much as to say-" Is it any
wonder I'm at my wit's end with
such people as these? What can
be done for such a girl as this ? "
"You had better give me the
bread," said the girl, halfthreateningly, half-beseechingly;
" for I shan't go away from this
until you do: besides if you don't
I shall get a skelping when I go
home."
For a moment or two Dorothea
looked at the poor girl, and then
at the ground; she seemed to be
planning something in her mind;
then she said to her visitor:
"Betsey, you shall have a loaf
of bread, and the sausages too;
and tell your mother I shall go
and see her to-morrow."
" You're not going to give us
the sausages, are you ?" said Bet,
never dreaming for a moment
that the little stroke of businesa

HOUSE AND HOME.

she had been doing on her own
account could be so successful.
" Yes, I am-I'm going to
give you the money to buy
them."
'And you're not coming to
our place, are you though?"
asked Bet, fixing her eyes on
Miss Gibbins.
"Yes, I am," said Dorothea;
" when I say I will do a thing, I
do it."
" Do you though ?" answered
Bet; " I don't."
The money was given for the
four-pound loaf,and for the pound
of sausages; and having made an
effort to drop a curtsey, Bet
Straggles crammed the last bit of
bread and butter into her mouth,
and went off. It was a long time
since the girl had curtsied to
anyone; but then, it was not
everyone who would give a pound
of sausages, just for the being
asked.
The good minister returned
with the lady to finish that
fourth cup of tea, and to talk
over the Straggles family with
their new friend, when Susan
made a rush upstairs to say that,
the- girl had come back, and
wanted to see Miss Gibbins
again.
"She won't take 'No,' ma'am,"
said Susan; "and she won't take
shrimps now, for I offered her all
that were left if she would only
go away. She says she must see
the lady."
"I'll go to her," said Mr. Pitt.

"(No, 'tis the mistress she
wants," says Susan. J"She's got
into the kitchen again, and she
won't go until she sees her."
Miss Gibbins went down, and
there was Bet, but with a somewhat altered and curious expression of countenance.
"I say now," said the girl,
"Missus, why did you call me
Betsey when every one else calls
me Bet; and lots bf people only
call me Straggles ? I'd rather be
called Bet, than Straggles."
" Because I think 'tis a prettier
and more homelike name, and
softer for a woman."
" That's queer," remarked Bet,
with her head on one side; and
after thinking for a moment or
two she added: " And why did
you give me those sausages ? "
"Because I wished you to
have a treat," answered Miss
Gibbins.
Bet put her head on one si(de
again, only this time at a different
side, as if this required a different
line of thought to understand it;
then straightening her head again
she looked full at Miss Gibbins,
and said:
" And what's your name ? "
" Dorothea."
'
Are you Miss Dorothea ?"
"nMy
name
is Dorothca
Gibbins."
" And would you like anyone
to give you anything ?"
" Oh, yes," said the little
woman : " I have many presents."
" And would you like a body

HOUSE AND HOME.

to call you Miss Dorothea?"
asked the girl.

" Yes."
" I'm off," said Bet; and giving
a strange bewildering kind of look
at the lady, as if she didn't know
what exactly to make of her, Bet
Straggles shot out of the door, and
down the lane.
Yes, Bet Straggles was off,
but she took with her, as she
went off, a treasure which she
knew not of. To have been
thought worth being called
Betsey, instead of Bet, or " Straggles," was something in itself.
She was worth something. She
had in that very thought something to gather round. That
"Betsey," and that pound of
sausages so freely given-given,
because the giver loved to give-paved the way for Dorothea's
visit next day to the den, in which
the Straggles family used to herd.
CHAPTER II.

Miss

DOROTHEA GIBBINs was not
the woman to dream over things,
though she thought over then;
but dreaming and thinking are
very different. And now, the
very next afternoon saw this
charming little five foot nothing
wending her way to the Straggles'
den. The information she got,
soon led her to the mouth of the
lane where the Straggles family
lived; and then, an inquiry from
an old woman at the entrance,
assured her she was right.

" Yes, my dear," said the old
"creature, "Straggleses do live
there, but don't you go down.
He'll murder you as soon as look
at you; and as for the woman,
you'll make nothing out of her."
But there was no time for
answering, for the old woman,
lifting up her hands, said, "Here's
Bet---this is one of them--she's
hardly like a human creetur, is
she ?"
But Bet was much more like
a human being than she had
been the day before. She had
kicked off the man's boot, and
got a second slipper somewhere;
and her face was washed; and
now she had been on the watch
for some time for her visitor, and
had come to escort her down the
lane.
A dismal place indeed was the
Straggles' wretched abode. Its
furniture consisted of a couple of
broken chairs and stools, an old
bedstead, with very little bedding; and a pot, a kettle, and
some very miserable crockery.
Mr. Straggles was out; so his
wife did the honours of the
place, which consisted in offering
the visitor a broken chair, the
best certainly she had, but bad
indeed was that best.
Although
Miss
Dorothea
Gibbins was an old maid ; and so,
according to common ideas on
the subject, ought to have a
mortal hatred to all babies, or, at
any rate, ought to have looked
on them as a nuisance, she

HOUSE AND HOME,

begged Mrs. Straggles to allow
her to rock the seedy old cradle
while she sat, and talked. " You
know," said the little woman,
as she put her little speck of a
foot upon the broken rocker, " we
must always be useful; and
-

9

a dozen like that, precious gifts?
And they bite very hard indeed.
Thankee for. the sausages," said
the woman, suddenly remembering that she had bitten something
very unusual yesterday, owing to
her visitor's gift to Bet.

z-_

besides, babies are amongst the
most precious of the gifts of God."
"They aint very precious
here," muttered Mrs. Straggles,
"There's what they come to; "
and she pointed to Bet, who
stood by. "Aint that, and half

"You shall have another
pound to-morrow," said Dorothea,
at which announcement the
woman felt ;strongly inclined to
curtsey, in her own fashion; but
her knees were stiff for that
kind of work; she had not

to

HOUSE AND HOME.

curtseyed to anyone for a long
time; "and I shall be glad to
give Betsey a frock; " at which
very startling announcement the
woman did actually make a bob;
and Bet herself did the same.
"Betsey will get on very
well yet," said Miss Gibbins,
" and so will the baby." She
looked into the cradle to see if it
were awake. Fortunately it did
not stir; had it done so, most
likely it would have set up such
a screaming or howling as, to
say the least of it, would have
made it exceedingly doubtful
how it would turn out.
" We must all look up, and
be hopeful," said Mrs. Straggles'
visitor.
"There aint no hope here;
things have been this way for
many a long day; and they will
be, to the end."
' Oh dear, no," ' said Dorothea;
" there is such a thing as a bad
past, and a good future. We
must start at once, and make a
beginning."
" We once had a home, but
'tis so long ago, we almost forget
it. We never could make a
home again," said Mrs. Strag.
gles, "we haven't got anything
to make a home with; and if we
had, we could not keep it. Straggles would drink it, or make
away with it somehow."
" The great thing," said Dorothea,"is to make a beginning, and
we must try and do so now.
Mind, I say 'we,' for I am going

to help; and Betsey here, she
will help too. I believe between
the three of us we can, with
God's help, do it, for nothing can
be done without that; and who
knows, perhaps Mr. Straggles
will help too."
"Not he," said the woman
bitterly. " Straggles would smash
a hundred homes in a week. He
may have a house if you like, but
no home. He don't care for a
home now; he's forgotten what
one is like, 'tis so long since he
had one."
"But shouldn't you care for
one," said Dorothea, "and Betsey
here ? "
" I should like it! " answered
Mrs. Straggles, putting the corner
of her gown to her eyes, " what
woman wouldn't like a home ? "
" Well, everything must have a
beginning; and if you'll begin tomorrow, I'll come and start you;
only you must let me do it in my
own way," said Miss Gibbins;
"and you must promise to help
all you can."
I'll help,"
said Betsey
Straggles, "perhaps we'll have
sausages often then."
"I have no faith in it, no belief
at all," said the mother, "'still
I'll do anything you like."
"And when you have a home,
you'll often have sausages," said
Miss Gibbins, smiling; " and
you'll have what's better than
sausages, you'll have happiness;
only we must begin."
Dorothea Gibbins was a great

"

HOUSE AND HOME.

person for having a little something to gather round, for making
a beginning. And now as she
thought over the affairs of the
Straggles family, she felt that a
great point would be gained, if
she could put anything homelike
into that wretched abode, and
make its inhabitants think of
something better than what they
saw around them every day.
Already the girl Bet had had a
lift; and around that kindly pronounced " Betsey " had gathered
one or two good thoughts; and
fruit had appeared in the casting
away of that unseemly old boot ;
and now Mrs. Straggles must get
a lift, and so must Mr. Straggles
too.
Accordingly, Dorothea prepared a stuff gown for Miss
Straggles, and another for her
mother. They were not worth
very much, but they were good,
though homely; and a vast improvement on the present wardrobe of the Straggles family.
As the little woman had not
seen the male head of the family,
she did not know what he needed,
though that was probably everything; but what would suit him,
she could not guess; however
she would watch her opportunity,
and do something for him also,
as soon as she knew what was
suitable.
But over and above all this
which was quite plain, and the
whole purport and meaning of
which lay on the very surface,

II

the little woman thought of
something else in her nice little
heart.
" I want them," said she, "to
have something that will give a
'home' idea to them. Home is not
made up only of the hard things
of life, though there can't be
much of a home without a sufficiency at least of them ; but it is
to one's ' home' one ought to be
able to retreat from hard things;
and it ought to be our treasurehouse, where we have what is
pleasant. Now pots, and pans,
and a cradle won't make home-..
at least, not by themselves.
True, a wife's smiles, and children's love, and a father's tenderness, these will make a very
humble house a home; but I
fear poor Straggles is gone so low,
and his wife too, that they don't
think they have anything worth
the caring for. They must have
something to
gather round.
Now," said Dorothea, looking
up at her mantel-piece, where
hung a text in colors and gold,
"you must go to the Straggles'
miserable house, and help to make
it a home." That text was about
the lilies of the field.
Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow; they toil not neither
do they spin: And yet I say
unto you, That even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these:'" and it was enclosed in a gilt frame, plain, but
fresh and brilliant.. "You must
go from my home to help to

1"

IS.

HOUSE AND HOME.

make another home.
Homemaking is blessed work in the
sight of God; and work that Iis
word willalway srlike to do."
A little further meditation and
looking into the fire, and the
cheery little woman suddenly
rung the bell. "Susan, bring
me a table-cloth, one that we can
spare; " and when it was brought
up, Miss Gibbins looked to see
that it was whole; for any rent in
it at all, might have quite undone
the work she had in hand.
Then she fell to musing again,
and looking into the fire, and
fixing her eyes on a little figure
of an old lady in a mob cap,
seated in an arm-chair, made of
biscuit-china as white as snow,
and under a glass case; she
addressed her, and said, "And
you shall come too."
The old lady sat quite still
under her glass case, looking as
though she would get up, or sit
down, or stay where she was, or
go anywhere she was asked, if
only she could do good; as in
truth she would have done had
she been alive, and at all like the
person she was meant to represent; for this was no less than
Miss Hannah More, the friend of
the poor, now dead many years,
whose memory for all her good
doings was greatly valued by
Miss Dorothea.
There was nothing melancholy
about the old lady's face, but a
sweet look of goodness, and
gentleness, and love ; but withal

in her frilled cap she looked so
uncommonly neat ; and, in an unfussy way, so particular, that
really one could hardly have the
impudence to be untidy while
she sat there so trim, and neat,
and clean. Many a time had
Susan dusted both sides of things,
because she felt as though that
old lady's eye were on her; and
it was quite plain that, sitting
there, white and without a speck
under her glass case, she could
not put up with anything dirty
or slovenly.
All these things Dorothea
Gibbins put up with her own
hands in a hamper, seating the
old lady in the midst; and
padding her all round with the
table-cloth and gowns; and a
porter came and carried them off.
A great sensation they made on
their arrival at the Straggles',
but before there could be much
guessing as to what could be
in the hamper, the sender was
there herself.

CHAPTER III.
"WELL,
Mrs. Straggles, well
Betsey, how are you and Mr.
Straggles ? He's not at home, I
see, but I hope I shall find him
at' home some day: at 'home'
mind, I say, don't forget the
word; for I want this to be
'home.'

" Now, we must begin to make
it so at once. There's nothing

HIOUSE AND HOME.

like beginning at once. Every
day makes things harder to be
done, very often.
Now, you're
to look on me as having a
great interest in this home; and
I want to help to make it, and so
does this hamper, and so does
this dear old lady," said Dorothea,
who by this time had come thus
far in her unpackings of the
basket.
" Here, Mrs. Straggles, is a
nice respectable gown for you,
and another for you, Betsey. The
dresses are plain, but they are
good. And here is a table-cloth,
and here is a text of Scripture,
and here is this little old lady.
And now I'll tell you what I
As to
want you to do for me.
the dresses, you and Betsey are
to wear them of course ; and this
text is to be hung up over the
fire-place. I see there are pictures of boxers and all sorts of
things, and people, I don't like,
stuck up there; but never mind,
if your husband will let it stay
there, that's the place where I
This
should like it to hang.
table-cloth I want you to use
regularly every day; and I mean
to give Betsey a shilling a week
And now, as
to keep it clean.
to this old lady, I dare say you'll
think it very queer my bringing
her here; but I particularly wish
Betsey to have charge of her; and
she is to have sixpence a week
for keeping. the glass carefully
from dust. Some day I'll tell
you who the old lady is, and

why I wish her here. And here
are four aprons, two a-piece for
you, so that you may always have
one clean; and there is to be
one and sixpence a week for the
wearing of them, and keeping
them washed.
Now, good-bye;
good-bye, Betsey, I'll come soon
again ;" and before Bet and her
mother could well recover from
their astonishment, the little
woman was gone.
" Some little thing of decency
to gather round," said Dorothea
to herself, as she sat that evening
by the trim fireside of her own
comfortable little home ; " a
blessed text of Scripture to speak
to their heart; and that white
cloth to speak to their eye; and
that little ornament just to shame
the low and dirty things about
it--they're only means, I know
that; but we must use means,
the blessing comes from above.
" Poor Betsey i I think she has
washed that old handkerchief she
wears; perhaps that, and the
getting rid of the old boot, are
just because I spoke a kind word
to her. Who knows what wilh
gather round one kind word ? "
Perhaps Mrs. Straggles might
have stood out against the text,
had it not been a fact that, Miss
Gibbins had brought a nail-yes,
half-a-dozen with her, in case one
or two should fail; and fixed it
with her own hands, where she
wished it to be. Moreover, .she
might have objected to the tablecloth as being quite out of place,

z4

HOUSE AND HOME.

in its snowy cleanliness, with
her filthy table; and most of all
to the old lady, who was now
sitting calmly on the chimneypiece, under her glass shade,.
where Miss Gibbins had put her.
For that old lady so clean, and
trim and neat, was altogether
out of place in Straggles' house.
As, however, she gave no sign
of thinking so herself; and was
apparently quite determined to
remain where she was; and as,
moreover, Bet had an interest in
her to the extent of sixpence a
week, and Bet was no trifle to
go against, she was allowed to
remain there; not without some
misgivings, and many speculations, as to what Straggles would
say.
When Dorothea Gibbins went
home, and sat by her fireside that
evening, she had a great variety
of thoughts. The little woman
was given to thinking, and it was
well for many that such was the
case; for she was generally thinking more for, and about others,
than herself. And now, the man
Straggles was uppermost in her
mind. True, she had not yet
seen him, but she had heard a
good deal of him; she had, so to
speak, carried fire and sword into
the enemy's camp ; she had
stormed his castle; and when he
came home what might he not do?
Moreover, how get at Straggles
himself? it would never do to
get at Mrs. Straggles, and Miss
Straggles, and all the young Strag-

gleses, unless she could get at
the original Straggles himself.
"I am going on the plan of
bringing something to respect
into their house," said Dorothea
to herself; " and the text and
old lady, and table-cloth will help
that.
And something also to
teach them to respect themselves;
and I will work a little that way
with the two decent gowns. But
now what can I do with Straggles
himself? I must have him,"
said Dorothea: " at any price I
must get him. Dear me, what shall
I do ? " At last, the little woman
clapped her hands together in
much apparent glee, and said,
"I have it : Straggles shall wear
a white waistcoat-he shall."
Meanwhile, Mr. Straggles,
who was little aware of the plots
which were being hatched against
him, and of the invasion which
his house had suffered, was out
on the spree. He had been thus
out for two days; and the spree
was now coming to a close. It
was not that Straggles wished it
to end, or was in any wise
ashamed of himself; but the
funds had given out; and, as
credit was low in this particular
case, he could not go on.
Under the circumstances, Mr.
Straggles bent his steps homeward, with just enough liquor in
him to make him a little stupid.
When he would arrive, his
wife, and daughter, and various
other belongings did not know;
but the two former, who had the

HOUSE AND HOME.

chief management of things (if
things in that house could have
been said to have been managed
at all), had made up their minds
that, henceforth, he should not
have it all his own way in evil.
When Mrs. Straggles, and
Betsey, had somewhat recovered
their astonishment
at Miss
Gibbins' proceedings, and had
taken in the situation, they held
a kind of family conference together,-an event which had
never come off in the history of
that family before.
They looked at the text: it
was beautiful. True, the " Tipton
Slasher " and the "Bendigo
Bruiser " were hard at it, fighting
for the belt in a penny cut close
by; and the wall all round was a
mass offilth, andmiserable pictures
and songs pasted here and there;
but the text was beautiful for all
that. Andthere were the dresses:
they had promised to put them
on at once. It was a queer
affair; but the dresses looked
lovely compared with their own
sodden, and foul, and tattered
garments: and what woman
would not get into a nice dress
when she got the chance ? Then
there was the table-cloth. Mrs.
Straggles really had some misgivings about that, and about the
aprons too : they would soon get
dirty in such a place as theirs;
but Bet, who had a private
interest in this, declared that
that cloth should be laid that very
night for tea; and as to the old

rS

lady, " Ah, Bet," said Mrs.
Straggles, looking mournfully, and
almost tenderly, at her, "poor
lady ! she'll have her nose
smashed, or some harm will come
to her when your father comes in.
I wish she were safely back with
the lady who brought her." But
Bet was equal to the occasion.
She was interested in the old
lady's health to the extent of
sixpence a week; so, shutting
her fist, she said, " He'll have to
fight me, before he hurts her."
Now Mrs. Straggles knew from
experience that Bet could wax
fierce if she pleased; and partly
thinking that the whole affair
must go together, and that Bet
would be protection enough for
the old lady; and, moreover, as
the latter still smiled benignantly
from beneath the glass, and seemed
in no wise afraid of any coming
events, Mrs. Straggles agreed
that she should remain. A
wonderful bond of union sprung
up between the mother and
daughter; they seemed now to
have a common interest; they
were manifestly embarked in the
same boat ; a common hope
seemed to be laid before them.
You can do nothing with
people unless you set hope before
them: even in spiritual things,
what can you do with a man
unless you can give him hope ;
and hope, whichhadbeen banished
for many a long day from the
home of the Straggles family,
now began to dawn there again.

HOUSE AND HOME.

IBesides, there were the payments
"'It don't put the life into
which Miss Gibbins had promised; me though," answered Betsey.
and there were the conditions to "The little lady put a queer
be observed; and money had feeling into me, when she called
been so scarce in the Straggles' me Betsey : that did me good,household for a long, long time, it made me feel soft-like, and
that it was worth making some woman-like, and human-creetereffort to get this. And so, mother like,-that it did. It goes well
and daughter determined,. come with the aprons, and the gowns,
what would, that they would and the text, and the table-cloth,
stick together ; and so far as they and the old lady there on the
could, carry this matter through; mantel-piece. I am sure, if she
whether Papa Straggles liked it could speak, she'd call me 'Betsey.'
or not. lie had cursed their I feel encouraged like to go on;
home long enough. Now that so if you don't mind from this
they had got a friend, and had a out call me Betsey."
chance of rising in the world,
"Well, child, as you like ;
they would make something of only 'twill take some time to get
it. Poor Mrs. Straggles, in all used to it; and you mustn't mind
probability, would have felt quite if sometimes I forget, or make a
unequal to any such effort in her- mistake, and call you ' Bet.' "
self, especially if it had to be
It was many a long day since
long-continued ; but she knew Bet had been called "child,"
she should have a powerful ally and this word fell as strangely
in Bet, who could be just simply on her ear as had "Betsey"
" tremendous" when she pleased ; when uttered by Miss Gibbins;
although she had to put up, as and, indeed, Mrs. Straggles hershe said, with a "skelping" from self, if questioned, could not have
her mother now and then.
told why she used the word; but
the truth was, without her knowing anything about it, the very
CHAPTER IV.
instead of
sound of "Betsey
" MOTHER," said Bet, " we've got "Bet " had begun to make her
to make this place new, aint feel motherly; and so the kindly
word slipped out without her
we ?"
"If
we can," said Mrs. knowing exactly that it did.
Meanwhile, Mr. Straggles was
Straggles.
"Then I'll be called ' Betsey' wending his way homeward, and
presently, his step was heard on
for all time to come," said Bet.
" Bet's shorter and handier, the stair, and his hand on the
It
Then he entered.
and does just as well," said Mrs. latch.
was, perhaps, on the whole, as
S

.-.

HOUSE AND HOME.

well for the Straggles family that
the head of it was, at this particular turning-point in their fortunes, in the exact state he was.
Had he een blazing drunk, he
would hive been furious; and
had he ben quite in his senses,
in all prolability he would have
been equdly so; but at present
Mr. Straggles was in rather a
frame of nind to put up with
things as they were, than otherwise. Acccrdingly, he sauntered
home in a bantering kind of way,
and not quits steadily; but still
steadily enouch to get there in
safety, and rake his way to a
chair in fron' of the fire-place,
and throw hirrself into it.
At first, M.Straggles seemed
to prefer his orn society to that
of his family, or anyone else ;
for he addressedall his observations to himself, rambling on, now
about one thing, and now about
another; until, soddenly looking
up as high as the mantel-piece,
he spied the old hdy under the
glass case, who imply smiled
benignantly upon him, as in
a half- astonished, 'alf - fuddled
voice he said, ."Halo, old girl:
who are you ? "
Presently Straggler looked up
again, and addressinghis visitor,
said, with a decided emphasis,
answer;
"Wiro are you ?" 1%N
but Bet who had g1een listening,
egged a step nearer. "Who
ARE you ?" Still no answver; but
Bet tightened berself up a little
more, and her eye grew keener:

17

for her father's voice was rising
as he went on. " Who are You ?"
at last he shouted; " and what
brings you here? Answer me
before I say one, two, three, or
I'll knock your old nose off your
pasty face;" and this time Mr.
Straggles laid hold of the poker.
"I'm at you," said Straggles;
" one, two; " but, before he could
say "three," Betsey made a spring
at him like a tigress; and he and
she rolled down on the floor together.
The struggle was a short one.
Betsey Straggles was in her
senses, and her father was not;
and a fight is soon over, when it
is between a person in his senses,
and one who is not. It took but
a few moments for Betsey to disarm her antagonist, who lay
sprawling on the floor at her
mercy.
"Now look ye," said Betsey:
"ye're down, aint ye ? and no
mistake; and ye deserve a
walloping, don't ye? and no
mistake ;" and the girl shook
the poker over the fallen man.
" And,"-but the girl's speech
was cut short by her father
beginning, as drunkards often
will do, to whimper like a
child.
In former times Betsey would
have taken no notice of this, but
now a kindly feeling made her
think that perhaps her father, by
this whimpering, was sorry for
what he had done. " Ye're sorry
for it, are ye ?" said the girl.

i8

HOUSE AND HOME.

" Then may be if I let ye get up,
ye'll let that young woman on
the chimney-piece alone: will
ye ? I have charge of her, and
I won't let a hair of her head be
touched. D'ye hear me? Will
ye let the lady alone, if I let ye
get up out of that ? " said Betsey,
looking down upon her prostrate
foe, who all this time kept blubbering like a child.
Mr. Straggles was now apparently much subdued in mind,
and prepared to accept any terms
of peace; accordingly, he faithfully promised to keep the peace,
and behave himself, and was permitted by his foe to arise.
"Now look here," said Betsey:
"you go to bed, father (when
had Bet called him ' Father' before ?), and go to sleep, and when
you wake up you shall have some
tea; and then you shall know all
about the lady: come along."
And Betsey, with her powerful
arm, and with her mother's help,
pulled him up, and put him into
the bed, such as it was.
Mother and daughter looked
at each other, now that the danger
was over; and very pleasant it
was to mark a certain expression
on their hard and worn features,
-one which had been a stranger
to Bet at any time of her life,
and to her mother for many a
long year. There was a touch
of pity in their faces, which it
was pleasant to see; and a sweet
sound of it in their voices, which
it was pleasant to hear.

said Mrs.
t" Poor father!"
Straggles: "he's his own enemy."
" I'm sure we aint his eaemies,
said Bet.
'IPerhaps some day le'll turn
round again," said the rife.
.
Maybe," said Bet; "'but
whether he do or no, we must
keep things straight here, as
we've promised the lsdy, and as
we're paid for."
"You're right," axswered the
mother: " we mustift lose that
money; and who knows ! perhaps
when things are better, they may
help to bring fatherround ? "
Papa Straggles Sept on until
about eight o'clock. The little
meal which passed by the name
of tea was generally partaken of
by Mrs. and Mils Straggles at
five or six in the afternoon; but
on the present occasion they
waited, always tinking that Mr.
Straggles would awake, and desiring that he siould be partaker
of the tea hot and strong; for,
owing to the iunificence of Miss
Dorothea Giblins, there was tea
in the house, end enough of it to
warrant their having tea strong
once in a way. Moreover, were
there not exusages? And the
kindly feeling towards the sleeping man was such that, they
wished to share with him what
they had.
At last the two women determined that they could wait no
longer, and that all should be
got ready; and if father did not
awake, his portion should be put

HOUSE AND HOME.

aside. Accordingly, the white
cloth was spread for the first time,
and preparations made for tea.
The first of these preparations
consisted in blowing up the fire,
which had been allowed to get
very low. This awoke Papa
Straggles, who for some short
time before had been sleeping
very lightly. The first idea that
came into itraggles' mind was
to shout at tie old lady, and ask
who she was, and what brought
her there; ut he remembered
in a moment that this proceeding
had brought him into trouble
during his last waking hour; so
he had the samse to hold his
tongue. Moreover, he was confirmed in this prudent course by
hearing the word" sausages."
It now became plain to Straggles, who had qui;e slept off his
drink, that some srange change
had taken place
his house
since he had been ii it before;
and that the best thing to be
done under the cir3umstances
was to lie still, and albw matters
to unfold themselves. ,No harm,
at any rate, could be done by
just keeping half an ere open,
if he
continuing to breathe
asleep, and liste ing to
were
everything that was said., And,
like all prudent people, Sttiggles
met with his reward. At any
rate, he heard the conversttion
which went on between Beisey
and her mother; and saw their
various and, to him, most wokderful proceedings.

i1

t

19

" Now, Betsey, child," said
Mrs. Straggles (and at the word
"child," Straggles almost betrayed himself, by a sudden
little start or jump under the
bedclothes): "I think that was
one of God's angels that came
into the house to-day" (and
Straggles nearly betrayed himself again; for he knew he was a
bad man, and was consequently
terrified at the idea of God, or
angel, or anybody, or anything
good coming near him.) "Perhaps there are big angels and
little ones, and this was a little
one; but she was a good one for
all that."
" I believe she's as good as an
angel anyhow," continued Mrs.
Straggles; " and if she isn't one
now, she's safe to be one byand-bye;" for Mrs. Straggles,
like a great many people who
ought to know better, thought
that, all holy people when they
died were turned into angels,
and all the good little children
into cherubs, with fat faces and
wings, somewhere in the neighbourhood of their collar-bone.
"Depend upon it, there's
some meaning in that tablecloth, or she'd never have been
so exact about its being laid and
kept clean; and I think she's all
the more like an angel for paying
for the washing of it. If the
angels take tea, and have tablecloths, depend upon it, they're
always clean; and them as uses
them pays for the washing.

20

HOUSE AND HOME.

You keep to the sausages, and
the fire; and I'll wash my hands
and lay this cloth, as we promised
we would."
"Dear me," said Mrs. Straggles, as she spread the snowwhite cloth on the table, "what
would your father say, if he only
saw this, and heard what we
were saying ? Folks like us to be
talking about the angels in a
house like this, where there
have been nothing but the most
awfulsome cursing and swearing
since nobody knows when; and
folks like us going to eat
sausages, and we half-starved,
and not able to get bread enough
for many a long day until tonight ! I'll tell you what it is,
Betsey; I believe that blessed
little woman meant us to be
good, and to like what's good ;
and that's why she brought this
here cloth."
"Why, how could a tablecloth make us good ? " said Bet,
who kept busying herself over
the fire.
"Why, perhaps she thought
'twould work round," answered
Bet's mother ; "and that when
we saw how nice clean things
were, we might like to be clean
ourselves; and to have them
always."
"We can keep that tablecloth clean," remarked Bet;
"and we will do so, for the sake
of what we get for it, and indeed,
to please the little lady too; but
as to over having a place, or a

decent place, as long as father is
what he is, I don't believe in it.
Father's the great curse of this
place: we'd have food enough,
and everything else, if he'd only
give up the drink."
"Well, Betsey, my girl, let us
do the best we can; perhaps
some day he'll come reund: who
knows ? "
'" Well," said Bet, " ever since
that little lady called me 'Betsey,'
I felt to wish that things were
different here; I wish to feel
different myself, and I do feel
different.
We aiat the decent
people we ought to be; 'tisn't
much use for us to try and get
up, for father ill always keep
us down; but I mean to try, for
all that."
"" And so d3 I," said Bet's
mother, catching some of the enenthusiasm qf her daughter.
" We'll have this much decency,
anyhow: that the cloth on the
table will br white, even though
there's onli poor stuff on it to
eat."
By thi time the savoury
smell of the sausages began to
steal abrut the room; and, in
truth, a delicious smell it was.
That s:ell seemed to enter every
,nook ad cranny of the room,
aid i tppeared to make it its partic'ukh business to tickle Papa
Straggles' nostrils, and, not content with that, to make his mouth
wqer. Sausages were just the
tlng for his poor half-worn-out

stomach,

and jadod appetite.;

HOUSE AND HOME.

which are some of the afflictions
which drunkards bring upon
themselves.
It was, therefore, high time for
the occupant of the bed to give
signs of waking, whichhe modestly
did by some short coughs.
These quickly brought Betsey
to her father's side. The girl was
prepared for whatever might
happen: to bind him hand and
foot, if necessary; or, if he were
in a suitable frame of mind, to
allow him to partake of the
saxoury feast which she had just
prepared. A glance at her father
soon showed the girl that he was
in a very different condition from
that in which he had been put to
bed. He was now quite sober;
and, moreover, he had, as she
thou ght, somewhat of a different
and better look on his face than
he generally had. Betsey was
glad at this, for, though quite
prepared for another tussle if
necessary, she felt more pleased
to be in a position to offer her
father a share in the sausages and
tea.
Betsey had not yet attained to
much elegance of speaking, nor
yet to addressing a parent in
such a way as we should approve
(all things cannot be done at once);
so she said, "Are ye all right
now ? Shake up, then, and come
and have some sausages. I)'ye
see the old lady on the chimneypiece ? the sausages came with
She didn't bring them
her.
exactly, but they came with her;

s1

and when she goes away, I dare
say there won't be no more
sausages here again, perhaps for
ever. Come, father, shake up."
Being thus gently pressed ; and
feeling that under the circumstances, it was the most proper
and the best thing to be done,
Mr. Straggles, with Betsey's help,
emerged from his privacy, and
came forth into the open room.
Great would have been his
astonishment at the sight of such
a cloth, and the smell of such
sausages, had not Straggles been
prepared somewhat for them by the
conversation which he had recently
overheard. But this preparation
was not enough to set him at his
ease. No inducement could make
Straggles sit sufficiently near the
table, to bring his dirty coatsleeves or trousers'-knees into
contact with that snow-white
cloth. Straggles felt that it was
clean, and he was unclean; and,
moreover, his conscience, pricked
by all that. he had overheard,
made him feel that, such as he,
had no right to be invited to tea
and sausages by the wife and
daughter he had done so little for
-indeed, so much against. Still,
it was evident that, there was a
kindly spirit abroad, in which
Mr. Straggles, unknown to himself, took courage; even though
he could not exactly bring himself
to feel that it was the right thing
that there should be sausages and
tea, and plenty too, in his house
that hour of the night; and that

22

HOUSE AND HOME.

he should be the man to cat
them.
The meal ended, Mr. Straggles
betook himself to the chair in
front of the fire; but now with a
full consciousness that he was no
longer in the same position which
he used to occupy. He felt that,
whatever it might be, there was
a spirit abroad in the house
stronger than himself; and that
he could not do exactly what he
would, if that thing were wrong.
Partly from the spirit of contentment, which generally comes for
a season from. a full and savoury
meal, and partly from the pricks
of his conscience, Mr. Straggles
was now quite quiet; and as
Betsey, on close examination, believed that he could be trusted, and
would no more commit assault and
battery in the matter of the old
lady, he was left alone to enjoy
his meditations, while she and her
mother cleaned up, and attended
to whatever remained to be done
for the night. Mr. Straggles
having no one to help him in his
various and perplexed thoughts,
fixed them on his former enemy,
the old lady on the chimney-piece;
and in some vague and undefined
way began to connect, happily,
not his recent misfortunes, but
the sausages and white cloth with

that clothe hadn't been so clean-it was awful white-and, for the
matter, so are you, old girl, too.
There's a tremendous deal of smut
and dirt hereabouts, and the like
of you don't look in place here.
Well, never mind: let bygones
be bygones. I won't touch you
any more. Have a pipe, old girl ?
No, to be sure you won't: you're
too clean entirely for that dirty
stump of mine," and Straggles
drew a short black clay pipe out
of his pocket ; " don't smoke, old
girl? No ! Suppose you never
did, but have no objection to
tobacco. No: none in the least,
thankee," said Straggles, and he
lit his dirty tube and put it in his
mouth.
The tobacco completed Mr.
Straggles' satisfaction with things
in general-a feeling which the
good tea had commenced; and
finally nodding, much too familiarly, as Bet thought, to the old
lady on the chimney-piece, the
father of the Straggles family
retired for the night.
CHAPTER V.

W=nN morning came, it dawned
gloomily enough; for there was
an unwholesome drizzle abroad,
and Straggles knew perfectly well
her.
that there was little use in his
"I say, old gal," remarked going forth to look for work. It
Straggles, after a pause: " them was his own fault that he had to
sausages was good. I don't know look for it, because, had he been a
though but what I'd have eaten sober man, he had skill enough
them a. deal more comfortably if to insure regular employment.

HOUSE AND HOME.

The morning broke just as
gloomily on Betsey and her
mother; but the two latter had
that within them which enabled
them in some degree to defy the
weather. The two women were
now bent on making their house,

23

at the best of times, a man about
the house all day is a good deal
out of place; and is very often
apparently in his own way as well
as in that of everyone else.
We must apologise to the
reader for the way in which

'511

a home; and that would give
them as much as they could do
Their chief trouble
all day.
connected with the weather was
that, the male head of the house
had to remain at home, and be
considerably in the way. Indeed,

Betsey Straggles addressed her
father; but it is to be remembered
that it was only very lately that,
sweet humanising influences had
begun to work on her; and she
was as yet by no means perfect
in act or speech.

24

HOUSE, AND HOME.

This will account for Bet's
approaching her father in somewhat of a threatening attitude,
and with rather a rough tongue,
as he prepared to light his pipe
for a morning's smoke.
" Look here, father," said Bet
Straggles, "things are not going
to be here any longer, as they've
used to be. There aint going to
be all this dirt and mess; but
we're going to try and be clean,
and decent, and respectable.
We've got a friend to help us:
she's a little un, but she's good;
and there aint no use in your
interfering with us and her.
This place is to be cleaned up,
and we're to be clean ourselves.
And there are things here to be
taken care of: there's the tablecloth to be kept clean, and that
lady to be dusted, and that text
up there to be dusted, too; and
you mustn't interfere in anything
that's going on, unless you want
to help, which you won't; but if
you do, mother and I will tell
you how to be of use. You
threatened last night, when you
were tipsy, to break that lady's
nose; but if you do, I'll break
yours, you may be sure of that;
and if you touch that printing in
the frame, I'll be down on you in
a minute. There's money paid
for taking care of those things,
and for keeping the cloth clean;
so you had better not spill anything on that. You let us alone,
and we'll let you alone."
There was enough left from

last night's sausages to provide a
good breakfast, of which Papa
Straggles partook along with his
wife and daughter; and it was a
good sign of him that he kept his
greasy elbows off the cloth, and
carefully scraped up such crumbs
as were scattered around his
plate. Moreover, he certainly was
civil, although he did not say
very much.
Breakfast over, Mr. Straggles
adjourned to the fire for a second
smoke, and to general observation; and I am glad to say, to
contemplation also. Having had
no liquor as yet, he had his senses
well about him, and was quite
well able, not only to take in
everything that was going on,
but also to think about it.
And many and strange things
came under his observation. That
table-cloth was not flung anywhere to get messed and soiled,
as all things dealt with in a
slovenly way are sure to do. The
bed, which in a general way was
allowed to remain as it was until
night, when it was roughly
shaken together, was now made,
in, at any rate, a certain fashion,
by his wife and daughter; even
the hearth was swept up under
Straggles' very feet.
While all this, and a great
deal more, was going on, Mr.
Straggles himself had ample
time for reflection; and his
thoughts were worth a penny,
and a good deal more.
First of all, Straggles directed

HOUSE AND HOME.

his attention to our old friend on
the chimney-piece; and as he
looked at her, he began to think
how unreasonable it was that, he
should have proposed to smash
her nose.
He had seen such things in
the shop windows, but he never
had anything so clean and white
in his own house before; moreover, he never had any one to
look so calm, and as though she
knew what was right; and who
still smiled upon him, even
though he had threatened such
damage to her face.
Indeed,
Mr. Straggles began rather to
like the old lady than otherwise; and felt glad he had done
her no personal injury.
Then his attention wandered
to the text, which, in its neat
gold frame, looked strangely out
of place upon that dirty wall,
and in company with the " Tipton
Slasher," and others of the same
race; and as Mr. Straggles
looked, many thoughts of one
kind and another crossed his
mind. Not much came of them
at once; but they were destined
to bring forth fruit by-and-bye.
The sausages had now come
to an end, and the clean tablecloth had on it for dinner nothing
at all worthy of it. There were
only a few potatoes and something of the nature of dripping.
It looked a poor set-out; the
white cloth made the miserable
fare look all the worse. And
need this be so ? said Mr. Strag-

25

gles' conscience to himself; need
I be so low in the world that a
piece of clean linen on my table
should put me to shame ? And
day by day, as the fare continued
thus poor, and, indeed, sometimes
poorer, for there was not enough
of it, such as it was, the voice
within kept urging Straggles,
and saying, "Need these things
be so ? " In his secret soul
Straggles wished that that cloth
would get dirty; if only it
would get grimy like the table,
off which he had eaten without a
cloth many a time, he would be
happy; but B1et took care of
that; she washed out every spot,
she kept the cloth almost as
fresh as when it came from
Miss Gibbins' hands.
Good, wholesome shame is
often of great use to a man; it
has sometimes been the means
of changing him altogether. The
Apostle asks some people "what
fruit they had of the things
whereof they are now ashamed,"
and such shame took possession
I am happy to say, of Mr. Straggles. At last it pressed so
sorely on him that, he felt he
could not come home to dinner
at all; and he did not. He
wandered about looking for work,
and contented himself with a
pennyworth of bread for dinner,
and some days went without
even that.
And all this time the home
kept improving in cleanliness,
even though it was not much

26

HOUSE AND HOME.

bettered as regards plenty. And
the more it improved, the more
miserable did Straggles become ;
he felt that such as he was out of
place in it. But one thing there
was to be said in his favour:
he felt that the thing was not to
continue out of place, but to try
and get into place, if he could.
And so he strove might and main
to get work; and partly, no
doubt ,because he had no money;
andpartly because he was trying for
better things, he kept from drink.
Meanwhile, there was a great
mystery going on over the chimney-piece. Amid all their cleanings and improvings, Betsey and
her mother had not dared to
touch the "Tipton Slasher," nor
any of his mates; so there they
must have remained amid their
grime and smoke, and with all
their low associates, had they
not taken to disappearing mysteriously, apparently of themselves.
Bit by bit they took themselves
off. The first to disappear was
the Tipton Slasher's head, and
the remainder of his body followed in small pieces, until
finally he disappeared altogether
from the scene. Then followed
the tail of the famous racehorse,
Fleetfoot; and after it went its
ribs, and finally its neck and head;
and so, bit by bit, it departeduntil there was a space of fully one
foot clear all round the text.
Moreover, two or three short
pipes, which habitually lay on
the chimney-piece, near the old

lady, were removed; first of all,
to the very end, thus, so to
speak, giving her elbow-room ;
and finally, they departed altogether. As there was no one to
clear up the mystery, it had to
be let alone, and just accepted
as a welcome contribution to the
cleansing work that was going
on. Whether done by ghosts or
fairies, it little mattered, especially as it did not seem in any
way to stir the wrath of Mr.
Straggles, who might naturally
have been expected to be angry
at the loss of his old friends.
Indeed, a part of the wonder of
these recent changes in the
house of the Straggles family,
was the calmness of Straggles'
own mind at the departure of
these long-cherished though sorely
begrimed friends, whom even Bet
would not have dared to touch.
From the text, and from the
old lady's neighbourhood, did all
these vile things go back, back,
until at last all that was left was
the extreme point of the nose of
"iHiram Spring," the champion
walker, who, when he was all
there, was supposed to be walking at the rate of six miles an
hour for a distance of fifty miles;
but, who had now apparently
gone on so fast, as to have
walked off the scene altogether,
walked away even from his own
nose, and left it far behind.
Whether it followed him or
not, and, if it did, whether it
overtook him, and got into its

HOUSE AND HOME.

own rightful place, of always
being in the front, again, no
one, at least not Bet or her
mother, ever knew.
Suffice it to say that, even it
took itself off; and not a fortnight from the day when Bet
and her father had that mighty
tussle in front of the fire on behalf
of the old lady, the whole wall was
clear; and the old lady and the
text had it all to themselves.
Perhaps our readers are wondering where Miss Dorothea Gibbins,
the first spring in all these strange
movements, was, all this time-why, she did not appear. on the
scene, and carry on the work she
had begun so well? The answer
is that, Miss Gibbins was a very
wise little woman; and she believed
in giving things time; and in
letting them work; and in not
fidgetting and worriting things to
death. She neither worrited herself, nor other people. Accordingly,
she remained quietly at home for
a full fortnight, contenting herself
with the best of all helpings for
the Straggles family; namely, a
frequent prayer that they might
be led to do, and be, what was
right. Many an one, like Straggles, has been moved to good,
without knowing what it was that
would not let him alone, and that
kept advising, or warning, or encouraging him, as the case may
be; and all the while it was the
good motions of God's Spirit come
upon him, in answer to the prayer
of someone, who pitied, or loved

27

him. And although, I believe in
human instruments, and helps,
and efforts; yet I don't believe in
them without the help and blessing of God. And though it does
not lie in my way in the course
of this little tale to say much
about Divine things, still let me
put it here on record that, I
believe that it is in the power and
blessing of help from heaven that
men can amend their ways, and
homes, and lives; and at last
reach the blessed home of all.
And if these lines meet the eyes
of anyone who is striving to
make his miserable house a happy
home, or who is seeking to do, or
be, good in any way; then, my
friend, my advice to you is to
seek the help which God, by His
Spirit, gives; and in which, beyond all doubt, you shall succeed.
But now, to return more immediately to Miss Dorothea Gibbins,
and the members of the Straggles
family: this good little woman
bethoughther that, itwasnowhigh
time she should look after the
gowns, and table-cloth, and aprons,
and the little old woman, and the
text, and the various investments
which she had made in Straggles'
house, in the earnest hope that, they
would help to make it a home.
Accordingly, one afternoon she
prepared her little basket, putting
therein some tea and sugar, and a
small, but very good cake. It
was a cake with many currants in
it; and, generally speaking, a
cake of which one would, if hia

28

HOUSE AND HOME.

aligestion were good, certainly
request a second helping.
Now it so happened that, that
afternoon Betsey and her mother
had, both of them, occasion to go
out; they had heard of a place
where a long job of scrubbing was
to be done, and they thought that
if they could get the job, they
could manage it between them.
In a general way, as Mrs.
Straggles took the baby with her,
they would have locked the door;
in which case Miss Gibbins, not
knowing their ways, and getting
no answer, might have thought
that they were all dead, or had
gone off to some other abode.
Things had, however, so far
improved in the Straggles family
that, the head of it could be
trusted to stay at home by himself,
without making off with the few
things still left in it, and pawning
them for drink. And as to the
old lady and the text, the friendly
terms on which he was with the
former, and his evident admiration
for the latter, made them quite
safe with him.
Mr. Straggles was seated in his
favourite position before the fire,
and had been in this position for
some time, musing on various
matters connected with recent
events, when a gentle tap at the
door roused him from his reverie ;
and in a moment or two a little
lady answered his invitation to
come in.
Not long ago, Mr.
Straggles would have told any
one "to come in, and be hanged;"

but on the present occasion he
left out the latter part of his usual
invitation; and Miss Dorothea
Gibbins entered with her soft and
gentle step; and spoke with her
still softer, and gentler voice.
" Mr., Straggles, I presume,"
said Miss Gibbins.
" The same," answered Straggles.
"And I am Miss GibbinsMiss Dorothea Gibbins; and I
have come to see your wife and
daughter: they are friends of
mine." And Straggles was wonderfully relieved that she had not
said, "and yourself." For had
Miss Gibbins said, "and yourself," there is no manner of doubt
that Straggles would have then
and there felt an inclination to
leap out of the window, or get up
the chimney, or get under the
bed, or in some other way to have
got out of sight.
Perhaps he was assured by his
visitor's gentleness of voice and
eye; but so it was that, instead
of bolting himself, he asked her
to sit down.
"And everything here isbeginning to look so nice," said Miss
Gibbins. " Why, one could eat
one's dinner off that table without
a cloth."
It was a great and wonderful
thing to hear that any of the
Straggles family had a friend;
and somehow Straggles himslf
began to feel that he too might
possibly have a friend; that whoever took up his wife and daughter
to be kind to them, might be

HOUSE AND HOME.

kind to him too: not in the way little hand, which Straggles let
of giving him anything,-give gently drop into his great palm;
Straggles his due,-it was not for he was afraid to give it such
that he was thinking of; but in a grip as he would have liked, it
the way of advising and encou- looked as if it would have broken
raging him. It may be that, poor like a piece of glass.
Straggles would never have ven"Now, ma'am, listen to me.
tured to claim Miss Gibbins as a I've been a bad un; I've smashed
friend, had it not been that he up this here home twenty times;
was so much encouraged by her but things here is on the mend,
and I'm on the mend; and I wish
conversation.
said the mending to go on until every
" Really, Mr. Straggles,"
the little woman: " I am sure I thing's mended right out, and
have much to be obliged to you made as good as new. Aye, and
for; I am sure you have been till I'm mended myself. Bet's
taking great care of my dear old mended--"
friend there. I see, there is not a
"'Betsey,' you mean," interparticle of dust near her. And my posed Miss Gibbins.
" Aye, that's it; she's above
beautiful text : why, it looks twice
as well as when I was allowed to being called ' Bet,' now; and
hang it up ; all the horrid things 'Betsey' is more good to this
which were round about it have place than ' Bet' was. Well,
gone. I thought if I lent these Betsey's a different girl, and her
things to your good woman for mother's a different woman, and
awhile, they would help to I want to be a different man."
brighten up the place; and really
" And so you shall be," replied
everything is looking very nice. Miss Gibbins; "and look, Mr.
Really, 'tis very good of you to Straggles, you see the beginnings
of a ' home' about you; and this
clear all the ugly things away."
There are times in the world place shall be a ' home,' and not
when, if we are to do or say merely a ' house.' "
"' But you must tell me how to
what is right, we must make a
bolt at it, and flop into it at once. set about it," said Straggles;
The present was one of these "I'm that far gone from all good
occasions; and Mr. Straggles things that I must have someone
recognised it, and was equal to it. to put me entirely right."
" Miss Gibbins ma'am---I'm
"Well, Mr. Straggles, of one
in want of a friend: I want one thing you may be sure, and that
worse than my wife and daughter is a great comfort, especially when
did. Will you stand my friend ?" anyone has anything hard to do;
"Heart and hand," said the and of course it is hard to get out
little woman, putting out her of old bad ways, which have stuck

30

HOUSE AND HOME.

to us for a long time. God will good for your family on your
help you if you ask Him, and 'if table, and something decent on
God be for us, who can be against your back. And if you must
us? ' I sometimes have hard smoke, though it would be far
things to do, and have great evils better for your health and pocket
in myself to overcome; and have if you did not, you will do so, if
great fights with myself to be you please, out in the court, or in
able to do it."
your yard, so as to keep your home
"You don't say that," inter- pure, and healthy, and sweet.
posed Mr. Straggles. " Now, I'd And that's enough for me to tell
have said you'd go right express you at one time, perhaps enough
through to heaven, and not stop for me to tell you altogether; for
at all until they came to take the when we're bent on doing a thing,
ticket at the end."
and keep thinking about it, it is
" Not a bit of it," said Miss wonderful how it grows before
. Gibbins; "we're all made of the us; but whatever you do, don't
same flesh and blood, and we all forget what I have told you-ask
have our hindrances, only some for the help of God."
Miss Gibbins could not wait
one way and some another. You
and I might, so to speak, be said for Mrs. Straggles and Betsey to
to be in the same boat-we're all come in; so she left the little
made of the same flesh and blood." present she had brought for them,
"Well, that's awonderfulthing," and took her departure. Greatly
said Mr. Straggles, "and a comfort rejoiced was the little woman's
too. And now tell me how I am to heart. She saw that already her
get on: and what am I to do ?" bait had taken, and she had hooked
"Aye, I'm glad you asked that, not only Mrs. Straggles and
for 'wishing ' will never bring Betsey, but in all probability the
things about; we must be up and dreadful Straggles himself. And
doing. Now you must get some a glow of thankfulness, and plealime and a brush, and whitewash sure, filled her heart, as she made
all these walls; and you must her way to her own fireside again.
bring your plane, and plane out of
As to Straggles, all that Miss
the floor those black stains, which Gibbins said sank deeply into his
no scrubbing can get rid of; and mind. He was ashamed of the
you must put in that pane of past-ashamed of himself, of his
glass; and get rid of that paper, house-ashamed, so to speak, all
which only half keeps out the round. And he determined to
wind and rain; and you must amend all round, too.
mend that broken chair; and you
Through Miss Gibbins' permust bring your earnings home, sonal intiuence, Straggles got a
and be proud to see something fortnight's work; and, with the

HOUSE AND HOME.

first shilling at his disposal, he
bought some lime and whitewashed the room, and he planed
the floor, and mended the chair,
and put the glass into the window,
and almost frightened the wits
out of his wife, who thought he
must be going mad. Perhaps she
might have spoiled all by bothering the man, and nagging at him,
and asking him if he were not
ashamed of having had his place
so dirty for so long, and so forth;
but Miss Gibbins had seen her
and Betsey quite privately, and
given them some good advice.
In pursuance of this, they allowed
the head of the house to pursue his
way in peace, only admiring each
new improvement as it appeared.
But Mr. Straggles was not
without a confidant in all he did.
lie held frequent conversations
with the old lady on the mantelpiece; passing through various
phases of addressing her, until
at last he called her ma'am,: old girl," " missus," were now
too free in his eyes; for, in truth,
Straggles was beginning to have
things about him respectable, and
to respect himself; and so he
began, as his wife and daughter
knew, to respect others,-and
thus even the old lady came in
for her share. And, in truth, she
deserved it; for she had always
looked so pleasantly upon Mr.
Straggles, even when he had
proposed to do her personal
injury, that he felt something in
this way was due to her. But

Mr. Straggles had a living friend
also, who was helping him on.
Unknown to his wife or any one,
he paid frequent visits to Miss
Gibbins, to report how he was
getting on ; and that little woman
heartened him up, and kept the
fire burning, and never let it slip
out of his mind that the way of
ways to get on was in real prayer,
first to seek the help of God, and
then to do our very best ourselves.
It was a blessed day for the
Straggles family, when the head
of it arrived one Saturday evening, bearing with him a basket,
containing many goodthings; and
amongst them, some members of
our old and respected friends-the sausage family. And that
was a blessed Sabbath, when
Straggles announced his intention
of laying the table himself that
day, if only his wife and daughter
would go round the corner and just
see what the inside of a church
was like: someone must stay
and look after the baby, and he
would ; and he would have a look
into the church in the evening.
And that was an honestly
proud heart that swelled in Mr.
Straggles' breast, as he laid new
knives, and forks, and spoons,
all round; and put on the table a
magnificent pie, which he had
had made privatelythe day before,
and now had only to warm up.
There were potatoes to match,
and when the pie disappeared,
a first-class pudding was ready to
come on.

32

HOUSE AND HOME.

And when Mr. Straggles announced that all this was the
fruit of his earnings; and that the
pipe had been transformed into the
knives and forks; and that henceforth his house should be a home,
which he took shame to himself
it had been so little before; and
when he said that, the quiet and
improving ways of his wife and
daughter had helped him on in
his good resolutions, it was well
that the pudding had been eaten up,
ere all this was said, or there would
have been tear sauce all round.
That night there was supper,
even as that day there had been
dinner; and after supper there
was a grand sit round the fire,
which blazed as an honest home
fire should do, where there was
plenty of coal. And there Mr.
Straggles unbosomed himself, and
made his final revelations to his
family. He told them that, many
a time he would have flung the
white table-cloth out of the
window, and pitched the old lady
after it; but that they were too
safe under the guardianship of
Betsey. That white table-cloth,
that quiet, and grave, though
pleasant-looking, face always kept
rebuking him: and the aprons,
and all the new decencies, they
almost drove him mad. Then
shame came in: he felt ashamed
to see those miserable pictures
close to that white figure so pure,
and to that beautiful text; and as
to his dinner, he half choked

every time when he saw so little
on that snow-white cloth; and
knew that it was his own fault,
and his alone, that it was not
covered with excellent food.
It was he who had made off
with the " Tipton Slasher" so mysteriously-spiriting him away in
the night, lest anyone should see
him. So feeble was he at first,
that he was ashamed of being
seen to do even that much that
was good, and he had walked
off with the pedestrian, and
finally with the pedestrian's or
walking-man's nose.
"Work is plentiful now; for
me, at any rate," said Mr. Straggles: " for Miss Gibbins, seeing
I'm in earnest, has gone security
for me, and I'm to be put in a
place of trust in the shop where
I work.
And there are now
blinds coming some day soon for
these windows, and curtains overhead, and this place is going to
be painted, and, perhaps, papered
too; and I'm bent on a copper
coal-scuttle, and a bit of a sofa,
and another couple of rooms ; and
on something to furnish up those
walls. Aye," continued Straggles, and he looked serious, yet
happy too: "and I'm bent on
starting for the home above; and
we'll all go together, I hope. And
while I have a house in this
world, I'll make it a home for
you all; for there's long odds of
difference between
'A HOUSE AND A HOME."'

London: Printed by Pru~Y, GARDNER & Co., Farringdon Road, E.C.

BROOKES

SoA

ONE BWASH CLOT

(WoN'*r WASH CLOTHES)

BROOKE'S
4d.

The

SOAP.

a large

bar.

World's

Polisher.

f

most marvellous

Makes

Tin like

Silver,

Cleanser and
Copper like

Gold, Paint like New, Windows like Crystal,
Brass Ware like Mirrors, Spotless Earthenware, Crockery like Marble, Marble White.

Sold by Grocers, Ironmongers, and Chemists. If not obtainable, send 4d. in stamps for full-ize
Bar, Free by Post, orfor is. three Bars (mentioning this publication) to

BENJAMIN BROOKE & COMPANY,
36 to 40,

YORK

ROAD,

KING'S

CROSS,

LONDON, N.

are S7a

1]7jUriou~S ,, bl rarcte5
Ma ULac ''
efii

3RAN D.
This Produdt has been tested by the leading
Analysts of Great Britain, and pronounced

TH E ONLY

The "LANCET" says:" This Soap is specially recommended for cleaning
and polishing. It answers admirably. It is very
effectual in removing dirt and stains, at :he same
time giving a good polish."
The "BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL" says:"It is well adapted for removing stain-, 'rust and
dirt."
Many others might be quoted did space permit, but the two
highest medical authorities will, it is hoped, be deemed sufficient.

OME o IrfS 1JSES.
b,.

"---

For Cleaning, Scouring, Scrubbing, Polishing,

METALS, MARBLE, PAINT, CUTLERY,

(

CROCKERY, MACHINERY, GLASSWARE,
EARTHENWARE, WINDOWS, OIL-CLOTHS,
BATHS, BRASS PLATES, STAIR-RODS.

For Washing Dishes and Cleaning all Kitchen Utensils.

SForSoiled

Hao1ds

For Steel, Iron, Brass and Copper Vessels, FireIrons, Marble, Statuary, Mirrors, Floors, Mantels,
and a Thousand other things in Household, Shop,
Factory, and on Shipboard.

REMOVES RUST, DIRT, STAINS, TARNISH, ETC.

*

BROKE' SOA
MONKEYBRA

(Wou

'TWASH CLOTHES

"

l.

i

BROOKE'S

.
.L

The World's most marvellous Cleanser and

SOAP.

Polisher.

4d. a large bar. (

Makes Tin like

Silver, Copper like

Gold, Paint like New, Windows like Crystal,
Brass Ware like Mirrors, Spotless Earthenware, Crockery like Marble, Marble White.

Sold by Grocers, Ironmongers, and Chemists. If not obtainable, send 4d. in stamps for full-size
Bar, Free by Post, or for Is. three Bars (mentioning this publication) to

BENJAMIN BROOKE & COMPANY,
36 to 40,

YORK

ROAD,

KING'S

CROSS,

LONDON,

N.

COLOURS-EXQUISITE.

SURFACE-LIKE PORCELAIN.

ASPINALL'S ENAMEL.
For Renovating & Beautifying Everytinlg,.
Perfectly NON-POISONOUS.

FOR ART FURNITURE,
WICKER & BASKET TABLES,

S8.

CHAIRS,

MILKING STOOLS,
HOT-WATER

CANS,

r

BRACKETS,
BEDSTEADS,
DOORS,

SKIRTINGS, &c.
Sold in Tins by all respectable Ironmongers, Grocers, Chemists, Drapers, Oilmen, &c., throughout the
Kingdom, or post free 7d., 1/6 & 3/-; [for Baths, to resist Boiling Water, 9d., 1/9 & 3/6] from

ASPINALL'S ENAMEL WORKS, LONDON, S.E.
All communications respecting Advertisements for these Novels should be addressed to Hart's
Advertising Offices, 17 & 18, Arundel Street, Strand, W.C.

'G THE

COMPi

This book is a preservation facsimile produced for
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
It is made in compliance with copyright law
and produced on acid-free archival
60# book weight paper
which meets the requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper).
Preservation facsimile printing and binding
by
Northern Micrographics
Brookhaven Bindery
La Crosse, Wisconsin
2012