ALSATIAN PEASANTS.

15

easy, regular employment as I could furnish them with, and to receive good pay, than to be toiling in this way for a mere trifle, or doing nothing?"

A silence of some seconds ensued, when the child in the cradle awoke and began to cry, very evidently wishing to be taken up; but the mother only told the girl to rock it more vigorously, which she accordingly did; and soon, apparently despairing of gaining its point, it ceased crying, and with its eyes wide open, fixed them in an idiotic stare on the black rafters of the ceiling.

"As to working for very little," at length said the father of the family, dejectedly, and with his feeble voice, "that's true, for we hardly get enough to buy salt to the potatoes.* The supper we are about to have consists only of bread-and-water soup, with a little grease in it; and we have hardly sufficient. Oh! dear, we're very poor people. If you would give us a trifle of money to help us, it would be doing us a great charity; it would, indeed!"

"Who is to fetch the wood, if the lads go to work in the factory?" said his wife, in a peevish tone; and then added, in a whining manner, "We're so badly off for clothes, sir, couldn't Mrs Harebell send me a dress? I'm sure I'd be much obliged for it—and a dress for each of the girls? and some clothes for the child in the cradle? I've scarcely anything to put on it; and that's one reason why it's left so long in bed. And we've scarcely any bedding; and if you would be so good as to send us a couple of mattresses, and—” A saying, expressive of poor and scanty diet.

*

"Well, well," exclaimed Mr Harebell, impatiently, "we'll see about assisting you in some way; but the first thing to decide now is, about furnishing your children with suitable employment, by which they may gain so much more than they do at present; and then, you know, when you will have more money, you may easily procure the wood in some other way, besides more clothing, and all other necessaries."

Both husband and wife, seeming to understand this reasoning, made no further opposition, and therefore it depended upon the children themselves to decide. The eldest son, called Bernard, came forward and boldly said he would like at once to be engaged; and Mr Harebell was on the point of taking him at his word, when one of the others, who seemed to have been consulting together, plucked him by his tattered sleeve, and whispered something in his ear, whereupon poor Bernard, becoming very red, and looking confused and ashamed, stammered out, "that he would rather not," and retreated into a corner.

"Ah! I knew how it would be," said his father; "it's of no use."

"The fact is," said his mother, "that he has no decent clothes to put on. No more have the others; and they're afraid of being sneered at in the factory. You see, sir, going to fetch wood from the forest makes sad work with the clothes."

A glance at the countenances of the young people convinced Mr Harebell that the mother had given the true reason for Bernard's sudden retractation, and probably also for the silence of the others; and, after

A SOTTISH PARENT.

17

some slight consideration, he offered to provide each of them who would come to work in the factory with a new suit of clothes on entering, the cost to be defrayed only by very slow instalments out of the ample wages that he intended to give them, and himself taking the risk that, when once possessed of the clothes, the young people would refuse to fulfil the engagement. They all now came forward and joyfully assented. But their father did not seem quite satisfied, and represented to Mr Harebell that it would. be better were he to give him the money required for the clothing, so that he might procure it all ready, and ' spare him the trouble. This, however, the latter had his reasons for peremptorily refusing to do. And as he and Christopher were leaving the house, the mother followed them into the yard, on pretence of taking out of their way some of the long branches left there by the wood-carriers, and, coming close to Mr Harebell, she said:

"Oh! sir, don't give the money to my husband; pray, don't! Neither the children nor I would be the better for it if you did. He'd only go with it into a public-house until it was all spent."

With mingled feelings of pity and disgust, Mr Harebell and his son returned to Mossdale, discoursing, as they journeyed along, on the marked difference between the villagers of England, both as regards social position and good breeding, and those poor people they had just left.

B

N entering the house, Mr Harebell found visitors. The newly-appointed garde-général,*

and Mr Mond, a manufacturer from a neighbouring town, and already known to the Harebells, who came to introduce the other-Mr Sommerfogel, a young man of about twenty-six. Tall, and rather handsome, dressed in a very gay uniform of silver and green, with so long a gold watch-chain that it crossed more than once over his breast, and with many glittering rings on his one ungloved hand, the garde-général made a very brilliant appearance. He spoke elegant French, in a very agreeable voice, and the graceful ease of his manner, and the good-humour of his

* A garde-général is an upper forest-keeper, employed by Government, and having the direction and control over a number of under forest-keepers. The situation is considered an honourable and gentlemanly one, but the pay is extremely small.

SOMMERFOgel's difFICULTIES.

19

countenance, expressive of such perfect confidence in, and reliance on, the good-will and kind intentions of those whom he addressed, made him decidedly pleasing; and accordingly he made a very favourable impression upon the Harebells.

Mr Mond explained that his friend, Mr Sommerfogel was in search of a lodging, and much regretted not having been able to meet with any in Gemsendorph; and concluded by inquiring whether the Harebells happened to know of one in the village that might suit?

They all, however, either said they knew of none, or remained silent. Whereupon Mr Mond said he was very sorry-very sorry, indeed; and, speaking in a low tone, whilst the garde-général was engaged in conversation with the young people—

"For," said he, "it will be a very serious inconvenience to my worthy young friend, if he is compelled to lodge so far from the scene of his duties, as is the And as he could not afford to hire a conveyance of any kind, only consider what the fatigue would be, not to mention the loss of time, of having continually to perform the distance on foot."

next town.

Mrs Harebell, who had been silent on the subject until then, overhearing this speech, did not think it well to remain so any longer; and, with some reluctance and hesitation, said that she knew of a widow in Gemsendorph who had a larger house than she required, and had expressed a wish to have a lodger; but added:

"Widow Schlosser lives in such a poor way-so dirty,