This woman also began to subscribe for a Bible, and now almost every door in the court is open to our missionary, and I had the pleasure of admitting four of these poor Romanist women into our Mothers' Meeting since the new year began.

One of them said yesterday (referring to the Bible-woman), "God bless her! she has such a winsome face, and such nice ways. And shure enough, ma'am, the blessed Jesus is the right one to pray to, for I never got well so quick before." We hope the Lord will make us wise to win these souls for Him.

Our Mothers' Meeting is well attended. We have entered already this year 105 names. Yesterday we had 77 present.

It is very encouraging to see the deep interest most of them take in the reading of God's Word. They listen with breathless attention, and if an unfortunate baby begins to cry a dozen hands are instantly thrown out to hush it.

One poor widow, with an aged mother dependent upon her, keeps a little shop; she and her mother take alternate weeks in attending the meeting, but last week the younger one said to the Bible-woman, "I cannot bear to keep mother away, she enjoys the meeting so much; and although she remembers to tell me a good deal, yet it is not like being there myself, and so I have decided to close the shop for an hour every Tuesday afternoon, that I may come in for the reading;" and yesterday, a little before three, she came in quietly, listened with marked attention, and when the books were closed as quietly withdrew, saying to one near her, "I can better afford to lose a few coppers in the shop than this."

The made-up clothing sent has been a great blessing. Work is so scarce for the men just now, that the poor women are obliged to do anything they can to procure food, and have therefore no time to sew if they could obtain the materials, and often the tidy mother has been obliged to put the children to bed that she might wash their under-clothing; her husband's solitary shirt also has to be washed after he has retired to rest however late.

One Mrs. H-, who we were able to provide with a Sunday suit, said, "I do thank the Lord every time I look at my beautiful jacket and dress, and it is so delightful to be able

to go to church in broad daylight. I ask the Lord to save me now from pride."

We have established, two weeks since, a sick and coal club at our meeting, and already 26 have joined and express their gratitude for the trouble we take.

Altogether our prospects in this district are cheering, and we are very happy to be made use of to bear God's message to our poor neighbours.

MORE QUERIES ABOUT DINNERS.

By a Pioneer.

MR. J—— is able to go to work and do a little, but is still very weak. Last week he earned 178., but the master for whom he works is his landlord, and Mr. J has got behind with his rent, having been laid aside so long, so the landlord stopped 10s. for back rent due, and he only had 7s. for himself to keep house for the week. We left them a little rice and meat to stew. I try and show them if they stew the meat and rice together the rice will make a good dinner for the children.

When I have said, What are you going to have to-day for dinner, I smell something very nice, one said, “Well, I sent my little girl before she went to school to the butcher's for a pennyworth of pieces, 3lbs. of potatoes, that cost lid., d. of rice, and d. of onions, total 3 d., and that makes a good dinner for all. My husband is a labourer, and he has most of the meat."

Very many poor families send for a pennyworth of soup. In some districts a good dinner is given to the children for a halfpenny twice a week. At one house the mother had bought a cow-heel and was stewing it with onions, for she had hungry grown-up sons and a husband all coming home to dinner. She said, "I paid 6d. for the cow-heel, onions, 1d., potatoes, 2d. ; we shall all have a good dinner, and a drop of the soup left, then when fish is cheap we have a bit of fish instead of meat.”

WHITECROSS STREET, No. 2.

By the Bible Pioneer.

RECANVASSED with a new worker in Whitecross Street. She is in connexion with a Mission from the "Friends." They are a sad set of beggars in this street, very poor, and their homes dreadfully dirty. Many of the married women take in work from the shops, which is a great mistake, as they neglect both their home and family to earn a few pence. One woman was working at fine pink silk tassels for upholsterers, while her baby was screaming at the pitch of its voice on a filthy bed, quite a disgrace to be seen; another was engaged in artificial flower work. It is astonishing how they manage to do such work so cleanly while their homes and their persons appear as if they would pollute everything they touched. They keep windows and doors closed, so that the smell is most offensive when you enter; their rooms are never cleaned, and the stairs neither swept nor washed; the wonder to me is that their husbands ever come within the door; the pavement is a palace compared to their homes.

We met with several who had paid part of their Bible subscriptions to the former Bible-woman, and complained that no one ever came now. I begged Mrs. M-- to collect their cards that we might have them seen to, as the people would be unwilling to begin for new ones unless their neighbours' cards were honoured. While at work we were passing a large place where all sorts of fancy boxes are made, and thought we would try to get in. We found them very civil, and saw the forewoman without any difficulty; she did not allow us into the workroom, but took the Bibles herself and showed them to the workers, and ten of them came out and began by paying 2d. each. The next week we got three more; they have fewer hands than usual, as they are not busy, so Mrs. M-- will have good opportunity for getting more subscribers when the work is better.

On Eagle Wharf District we got into a place of the same kind more than three years ago, and during all that time we have had subscribers in it, and still have them, and they look

the Bible-woman's visit, and would be very disappointed if she did not come. I am pleased that Mrs. M has got in, she is a nice woman, and seems to enter heartily into the work. She has now over thirty paying subscribers. The friends were very pleased to hear of our success, and the Bible-woman thinks from what she heard them say, that they will stop the gifts of Bibles, which they have hitherto practised, as it is better to let the people pay for them, they value them more.

"SET UP FOR THE WINTER."

(By a former Hospital Nurse.)

JAMES Wan old man, when I first visited him, was suffering very severely with rheumatism and bronchitis. He was so ill that I scarcely thought he would recover. His wife also was drawn all on one side with rheumatism, so that it was with great difficulty she could get about. I gave her some medicine that I am in the habit of making up for poor people. It did her so much good that after a little while the old man said I had made quite a new creature of his "old woman." As he got a little better I persuaded him to get out of bed, and let me make it for him, and though he felt very weak it refreshed him, and he was willing to let me do it every day. I then got him some new flannel from the "Mother House" to make into vests for him, which have been a great comfort; and by means of the nourishment he has received from the Mission, and the constant attention, by the blessing of God he is now able to go out to do a little work. He buys wood, and cuts it up, and carries it out in the streets to sell. I have got a pair of old trousers from the "House" for him, and hope he will now be set up for the winter. Though he is still very far from strong, he is anxious to begin work, and I hope he will do it. They are both so very thankful they never know how to say enough. He is sure he must have died if I had not found him out, and says, "Now you'll be sure and tell the ladies how much good you have done me. You'll promise me that, for I should

like them to know it."

"FORSAKEN BY EVERYBODY."

MRS. F This case was mentioned seven years ago in the MISSING LINK MAGAZINE under the title, "Forsaken by Everybody," and excited the compassion of many. A kind lady sent her help and clothing, and she was attended to by Nurse till the time of her death, which occurred about fifteen months ago. She left three children, two boys and a girl. The elder married. At the mother's death the boy was thirteen, and the second girl nine years. The girl was sent to her father's friends for a time, but has now come home to look after her father's comfort, but she goes to both day and Sunday school. The boy also goes to school. Nurse is not attending any of the family now, but went in at our request to see how they were getting on. The man said, "Do give my duty to the lady, and tell her how thankful I have always been for the help I received seven years ago. It quite set me up; and since that I have been able to get on, besides the comfort you were to my poor wife to the end."

THE SICK POOR IN THEIR OWN HOMES.

Mrs. E- -'s is a case of internal tumour and intense suffering. She has not been able to stand for thirteen years, and her husband is partially blind, and cannot work. He has been helped by the Mission to get a blacking-box to black shoes in the street, and earns a few halfpence in that way. He is so thankful for this help, though he often finds, even in the shoeblack trade, younger hands and those who have better eyes are preferred.

They have 2s. 6d. a week from the parish. He attends a place of worship, and likes much to hear the Bible read; but she is a decided Christian, and daily prays to be sweetened for the heavenly inheritance. Very often, from her great suffering, she cannot eat the coarse food they are able to get, and sometimes says, "Oh, Nurse, it is hard to bear," but seldom murmurs, generally finishing with "The will of the Lord be done." Nurse makes her some sago, or cornflour, or little pudding at times, for which she is very thankful.