She knew what it was to dread the going out into the streets after her story had become known.  For days and days she had silently shrunk from this effort.  But, one evening towards dusk, Miss Benson was busy, and asked her to go an errand for her; and Ruth, got up and silently obeyed her.  That silence as to inward suffering was only one part of her peculiar and exquisite sweetness of nature; part of the patience with which she “accepted her penance.”  Her true instincts told her that it was not right to disturb others with many expressions of her remorse; that the holiest repentance consisted in a quiet and daily sacrifice.  Still there were times when she wearied pitifully of her inaction.  She was so willing to serve and work, and every one despised her services.  Her mind, as I have said before, had been well cultivated during these last few years; so now she used all the knowledge she had gained in teaching Leonard, which was an employment that Mr. Benson relinquished willingly, because he felt that it would give her some of the occupation that she needed.  She endeavoured to make herself useful in the house in every way she could; but the waters of house-keeping had closed over her place during the time of her absence at Mr. Bradshaw’s—­and, besides, now that they were trying to restrict every unnecessary expense, it was sometimes difficult to find work for three women.  Many and many a time Ruth turned over in her mind every possible chance of obtaining employment for her leisure hours, and nowhere could she find it.  Now and then Sally, who was her confidante in this wish, procured her some needlework, but it was of a coarse and common kind, soon done, lightly paid for.  But, whatever it was, Ruth took it, and was thankful, although it added but a few pence to the household purse.  I do not mean that there was any great need of money; but a new adjustment of expenditure was required—­a reduction of wants which had never been very extravagant.

Ruth’s salary of forty pounds was gone, while more of her “keep,” as Sally called it, was thrown upon the Bensons.  Mr. Benson received about eighty pounds a year for his salary as minister.  Of this, he knew that twenty pounds came from Mr. Bradshaw; and, when the old man appointed to collect the pew-rents brought him the quarterly amount, and he found no diminution in them, he inquired how it was, and learnt that, although Mr. Bradshaw had expressed to the collector his determination never to come to chapel again, he had added, that of course his pew-rent should be paid all the same.  But this Mr. Benson could not suffer; and the old man was commissioned to return the money to Mr. Bradshaw, as being what his deserted minister could not receive.