Mrs. Cotting bowed, and Dora continued: "We will not take your time,
madam, which must be fully occupied. We called to inquire respecting a
family called Graffam, living upon the plain."

"I know them," said Mrs. Cotting, "as indeed I do every other poor
family in town. These Graffams are very strange people. I called there
with Mrs. Jefferson Motley, the wealthiest lady at the mills. Graffam
had a child at that time lying at the point of death. He was at home,
and, what is a rare thing, was sober; but neither he nor his wife
seemed at all grateful for this attention from myself and Mrs. Motley.
We were at that time hunting up children for the Sabbath school; and in
our charitable work were not unwilling to visit the most degraded. We
told Graffam and his wife so; and told them, moreover, that we were
desirous to rescue their children from ignorance and infamy. I had a
bundle of clothes for the children, which I offered to Mrs. Graffam, on
condition that she would keep them clean; never allowing them to be
worn in their own dirty hut, but saved expressly for the Sabbath
school. Then I talked to her faithfully of her own evil ways, (for I
had heard that she picked berries upon the Sabbath;) and what do you
suppose the poor wretch did? Why she turned from the dying bed of her
child, and looked Mrs. Motley and myself in the face, as though we were
common acquaintances. 'Madam,' said she, 'your religion is not to my
taste. I prefer our present ignorance, and even infamy, to what you
have offered this morning. As for picking berries upon the Sabbath, I
must refer that to Him of whom, I must confess, I know too little; but
my parents taught me that God is just, and I believe that he will
justly judge between the rich who pay their laborers in that which is
neither money nor bread, and the mother who, for lack of bread, must
break the Sabbath.' Think what an impudent thrust at Mrs. Motley!--her