alive, but loved all humanity; that she was going to do her best to be a
better woman, but couldn't really hope to arrive at any satisfactory
improvement without Mrs. Slater's assistance; that Mrs. Slater, indeed,
had shown her a New Way, a New Light, a New Path.

Mrs. Slater, humble woman, had no illusions as to her own importance in
the scheme of things; nothing touched her so surely as an appeal to her
strength of character. She received Mrs. Carter with open arms,
suggested that they should read the Bible together on Sunday mornings,
and go, side by side, to St. Matthew's on Sunday evenings. There was
nothing like a study of the "Holy Word" for "defeating the bottle," and
there was nothing like "defeating the bottle" for getting back one's
strength and firmness of character.

It was along these lines that Mrs. Slater proposed to conduct Mrs.
Carter.

Now unfortunately Henry took an instant and truly savage dislike to his
mother's new friend. He had been always, of course, "odd" in his
feelings about people, but never was he "odder" than he was with Mrs.
Carter. "Little lamb," she said, when she saw him for the first time. "I
envy you that child, Mrs. Slater, I do indeed. Backwards 'e may be, but
'is being dependent, as you may say, touches the 'eart. Little lamb!"

She tried to embrace him; she offered him sweets. He shuddered at her
approach, and his face was instantly grey, like a pool the moment after
the sun's setting. Had he been himself able to put into words his
sensations, he would have said that the sight of Mrs. Carter assured
him, quite definitely, that something horrible would soon occur.