Peggy, with the baby still in her arms, was trying to stir a black, cindery fire, that was filling the room with smoke.  The child was crying, and the poor invalid was sitting up in bed nearly suffocated by her cough.  The great four-post bed blocked up the little window.  The remains of a meal were still on the big round table.  Some clothes were drying by the hearth; a thin tortoise-shell cat was licking up a stream of milk that was filtering slowly across the floor, in the midst of jugs, cans, a broken broom, some children’s toys, and two or three boots.  The bed looked as though it had not been made for days; the quilt and valance were deplorably dirty; but the poor creature herself looked neat and clean, and her hair was drawn off from her sunken cheeks and knotted carefully at the back of her head.  Mr. Hamilton uttered an exclamation of impatience when he saw the smoke, and almost snatched the poker out of Peggy’s hands.

‘Take the child away,’ he said angrily.  ’Miss Garston, if you can find some paper and wood in this infernal confusion, I shall be obliged to you:  this smoke must be stopped.’

I found the broken lid of a box that split up like tinder, and Peggy brought me an old newspaper, and then I stood by while Mr. Hamilton skilfully manipulated the miserable fire.

‘All these ashes must be removed,’ he said curtly, as he rose with blackened hands:  ‘the whole fireplace is blocked up with them.’  And then he went to the pump and washed his hands, while I sent Peggy after him with a nice clean towel from my basket.  While he was gone I stepped up to the bed and said a word or two to poor Mrs. Marshall.

She must have been a comely creature in her days of health, but she was fearfully wasted now.  The disease was evidently running its course; as she lay there exhausted and panting, I knew her lease of life would not be long.

‘It was the smoke,’ she panted.  ’Peggy is young:  she muddles over the fire.  Last night it went out, and she was near an hour getting it to light.’

‘It is burning beautifully now,’ I returned; and then Mr. Hamilton came back and began to examine his patient, professionally.  I was surprised to find that his abrupt manner left him; he spoke to Mrs. Marshall so gently, and with such evident sympathy, that I could hardly believe it was the same person; her wan face seemed to light up with gratitude; but when he turned to me to give some directions for her treatment he spoke with his old dryness.

‘I shall be here about the same time to-morrow,’ he finished; and then he nodded to us both, and went away.

‘Mrs. Marshall,’ I said, as I warmed the beef-tea with some difficulty in a small broken pipkin, ’do you know of any strong capable girls who would clean up the place a little for me?’

‘There is Weatherley’s eldest girl Hope still at home,’ she replied, after a moment’s hesitation, ’but her mother will not let her work without pay.  She is a poor sort of neighbour, is Susan Weatherley, and is very niggardly in helping people.’