many strange and undefined thoughts in her untutored heart.

The Grangers did not belong to the lowest of the people. Granger was
a clever workman. He was seldom out of employment; for although he
drank away his earnings, and gave no thought whatever to the comfort
of his wife and children, he was sober and steady by day. He had a
clever, shrewd head, as yet unaffected by drink, and he did the work
allotted to him in a superior manner to most of his class.

When first they were married, he and his wife had two bright, cheery
rooms. They were well furnished, and things promised brightly for the
couple. Granger, however, was the son of a drunkard, and the sins of
the father were soon to be abundantly visited on him. Mrs. Granger
meant well, but her religion was not of an inspiriting kind. Whenever
she saw her husband the worse for drink she reproached him, and spoke
to him about hell-fire. He soon ceased to care for her; and even when
Bet was a tiny child she scarcely ever remembered an evening which did
not find her mother in tears, and her father returning home, having
taken a great deal more than was good for him.

Years went by; children were born, only to live for a day or two and
to pass away. Mrs. Granger became more broken-down and unhappy-looking
every year, and Bet grew into a tall, comely girl. She was not
particularly gentle, nor particularly amiable, and she had the worst
possible training for such a nature as hers; but nevertheless she had
a certain nobility about her. For instance, no one had ever heard
Elizabeth Granger tell a lie. She was proud of her truthfulness, which
was simply the result of courage. She was afraid of no one, and no
circumstance had ever caused her cheek to blanch with fear. She quickly
acquired a name for truth and honesty of purpose, and then pride helped