after night after putting the children to bed, he searched the
streets and public-houses for her; sometimes I went with him.
She pawned his clothes, the children's clothing, and even the
boy's fiddle. He cleaned the house, he cooked the food, he cared
for the children, he even washed and ironed their clothing on
Saturday evening for the coming Sunday. He marked all the
clothing, he warned all the pawnbrokers. At length he obtained a
separation order, but tearing it up he again took her home with
him. She went from bad to worse; even down to the deepest depths
and thence to a rescue home. He fetched her out, and they
disappeared from my neighbourhood.

So I lost them and often wondered what the end had been. To-day
he was smiling; he had with him a youth of twenty, a scholarship
boy, the violinist. He said, "I am just going to pay for his
passage to Canada; he is going to be the pioneer, and perhaps we
shall all join him, she will do better in a new country!" On
further inquiry I found that she was trying hard, and doing
better than when I lost them.

Thinking she needed greater interest in life, he had bought a
small business for her, but "Mr. Holmes, she broke down!"

Alas! I knew what "breaking down" meant to the poor fellow, the
heroic fellow I ought to have said. And so for her he will leave
his kindred, home and friends; he will forsake the business that
he has so slowly and laboriously built up, he will sacrifice
anything in the hope that the air of Canada "will do her good."
let us hope that it may, for her good is all he lives for, and
her good is his religion.