At this moment; the door-bell rang and a minute or two afterwards, a young girl entered the room in which Mr. and Mrs. Allison were sitting.  Before introducing her to our readers, we will conduct them to the interior of an obscure dwelling, situated near the outskirts of the city.  The room is small, and scantily furnished, and answers at once for parlour, dining-room, and kitchen.  Its occupants, Mrs. Perry and her daughter, have been, since the earliest dawn of day, intently occupied with their needles, barely allowing themselves time to partake of their frugal meal.

“Half-past three o’clock!” ejaculated the daughter, her eyes glancing, as she spoke, at the clock on the mantelpiece.  “I am afraid we shall not get this work done in time for me to take it home before dark, mother.”

“We must try hard, Laura, for you know we have not a cent in the house, and I told Mrs. Carr to come over to-night, and I would pay her what I owe her for washing.  Poor thing!  I would not like to disappoint her, for I know she needs it.”

Nothing more was said for near twenty minutes, when Laura again broke the silence.

“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed, “what a pain I have in my side!” And for a moment she rested from her work, and straightened herself in her chair, to afford a slight relief from the uneasiness she experienced.  “I wonder, mother, if I shall always be obliged to sit so steady?”

“I hope not, my child; but bad as our situation is, there are hundreds worse off than we.  Take Annie Carr, for instance—­how would you like to exchange places with her?”

“Poor Annie!  I was thinking of her awhile go, mother.  How hard it must be for one so young to be so afflicted as she is!”

“And yet, Laura, she never complains; although for five years she has never left her bed, and has often suffered, I know, for want of proper nourishment.”

“I don’t think she will suffer much longer, mother.  I stopped in to see her the other day, and I was astonished at the change which had taken place in a short time.  Her conversation, too, seems so heavenly, her faith in the Lord so strong, that I could not avoid coming to the conclusion that a few days more, at the most, would terminate her wearisome life.”

“It will be a happy release for her, indeed, my daughter.  Still, it will be a sore trial for her mother.”

It was near six when Mrs. Perry and her daughter finished the work upon which they were engaged.

“Now Laura, dear,” said the mother, “get back as soon as you can, for I don’t like you to be out after night, and more than that, if Mrs. Carr comes, she won’t want to wait.”

About twenty minutes after the young girl had gone, Mrs. Carr called.  “Pray, be seated, my dear friend,” said Mrs. Perry, “my daughter has just gone to Mrs. Allison’s with some work, and as soon as she returns I can pay you.”

“I think I had better call over again, Mrs. Perry,” answered the poor woman; “Mary begged me not to stay long.”