The Express.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

(Stamped Id. AdditimiaL) [TWOPENCE.

1117 ART IiZAJMTRISB3B.

It was • small and very wretched apartment, con-
taining a bed, and one chair, the seat of authority. There
was so fable, bat there were three low forma, which were
perpetually tumbling over, end on there forms were seated
eleven " little girls ," the four on the front form could hardly.
any of them, have seen six years, one of them was "going
of five." The four behind were about seven perhaps, sad
lbws was one very well-behaved girl on the hindermost slat,
who might be tan, and two others a year or two younger.
The eldest girl had evidently all the fining and all
the responsibility, and was the only one among the
Number that had money remuneration; she also had the
" taking in." They were "on slops ;" the little things on the
front form doing the hemming, while the others were steadily
at work on 0 band and gusset and seem' Perfect silence
was the rule, but the little hemmers were continually trans
greasing It. They all seemed in the utmost distr.... de-
claring, with many tears, that somebody had made her losebar amens ; the amused protesting that she " didn't teaks
her loss It, for she lost it her own self, and so that was •
story that she had told." Then another complained that
neighbour had said "she hadn't done the most, and the
neighbour wouldn't measure." The poor old woman bad
scarcely pacified them, when the little girl "going of eve,-
• perfectly cleanly, loveable, kissable little creature, burst
forth with a moat grievous lamentation, because mew
body behind had said that her " father was wane-
ported, sad he wasn't transported, because be had
goes in • bootiful sip." hereupon the old woman
threatened to " the offender, and she confirmed the
story ot the " sip." But ihe wicked girl continued
seTh laaL?"444x..esid
I"44vet iteemrilittliti4ll44thigeWase er

again."
And now the old woman proceeded to execute her threat,
to " bang " the tormentor. The operation was quite an or-
thodox, grandmotherly affair, after which there was • tem-
porary sitcoms. The tittle morsel, we were grieved to estra
had hemmed nearly a yard of *slim in the aratott m
but all along there were crimes specks of blood, showing
how sadly the little finger moat love base pima& In re-
compose for her industry she wee parnieted Inca few
oo-
moots to contemplate the perfections of • new little picket-
' handkerchief, on which wee an temeriptka and Mem-
tration of " Hoop de doodes don," and them her little eyelids
drooped. Oblivion was gently stealing the image of the
grotesque figure on the handkerchtef and the Image of the
torturing shirt, end withdrawing all the dreary seuvoandsgs
of misery. Tim expression of petulanos mid polarslaud;
she was asleep.
Intelligence of this fact was instantly reported, but the
old woman graciously permitted her a few minutes, declaring
that she was worth two of the informer, sod would got her
task done first. _ . . .

For the making of the shirt of which this baby did the
hemming,
a whole day's heed work of mums, and which had
ales expended on it another dey'e cruel labour on bend and
peek end seem, the old woman received twopenoe-kalipeany,
or, la the phraseology of the trade, the little girls were on
slop at half-a-crown a doses. The mothers were out in the
city, met of them at least, at Varietle kinds of employment,
end were glad to ham shots children taken can of sad
taught to sew besides. The old woman made them
leach a mug of warm coffee dating tho day, and took care
they didn't eat all their victuals it once. They hadn't half
enough to eat. We ioquired how the good women would
fled room for several additional little heads. She explained
that some of the older girls were going to work with their
asothsra ; that the "hmamen",woald be promoted to '• land,"
to. The little sleepier to be one of those se promoted. She
wonted two or three little am for the hemming, bat they
were always se slow et lest, they did nothing bat adjust
their thimbles and loss their needles ; they were

more trouble thee um at drat;' however they soon
got to be useful, though it appeared that some un-
rincipled mothers withdrew them se soon
as they
began to be woeful and could thread their own tasoiles. In-
deed one hardly knew whether the poor old woman or the
little etumstresme wen most to be pitied. To be sure she
might have gone to the onion, and it is so very rmy to seed
old people there. We are quite of opinion that she would
have been better there, bat somehow old people do hang
back verumuch. We sheathe:, were we in their position,
oh no'. What a special favour it is that we who would
be such perfect specimens of propriety under say cir-
cumstances of puvi rt, and diatoms. should be pawed
so ear above their influence. You sad I, deer
reader, would be very cleanly for Matinee, would
w• sot t But cleanliness does cost something. erleat-
ever people may my to the oontrary. Ah I none know better
than the sessestras that " time u mousy." Suppose • very
cosmos cem—a hard.wrouglit seansetmen has jtaestWWlols
IMO poesy, whisk she diefgels teamed be map. She te exis-
tent to wait till the morrow for food, but her little child
stands at her knee, pleading and weeping, and coughing and
choking, and all for bread, till, hoarse with the vain petition,
it lies down moaning sad exhausted at her feet. Ask your
heat if it would be art very ere), to answer that feint hanger
cry with a clean pinsfore.—English Woman's Journal.