"Why, Mrs. McTravers, we will take her in and put her to bed, and let her sleep till morning."
"Take her in? What, take a common street-walker in to disgrace your house?"
"Indeed, my dear, good, kind lady," said the object of their conversation, now for the first time speaking. "I am no street-walker--I am not what you take me for. Do not--pray do not, force me to go into the street again to-night. Let me lay here on the door-sill till daylight."
"Never! It shall never be said I refused to give shelter to one of my own sex in distress, no matter what she is or has been. Mrs. McTravers, she must have a bed in the house to-night."
"I should like to know then where you will find it. Every bed in the house is full."
"I will give her mine then, and sleep myself on the floor."
"No, no, no, let me sleep on the floor--on the hearth--on the stones in the back-yard, rather than go in the street again, but I won't sleep in your bed."
"Well, well, come with me to my room. I will make you a bed on the floor, and you shall sleep there."
"Sure, sure, Heaven will bless you; and if you knew all you would forgive me, for I am not so bad as you think I am, or as that woman thinks I am."
"Oh, never mind what she says, she has a good heart after all. Come, come along with me."
"Did you ever see the like of it. She is going to take that thing to her room, a miserable tramper; I dare say the house will be robbed before morning. I will pick up the spoons, and lock all the closets, before I go to bed again. Dear me, did anybody ever see such a woman as that? She never sees a woman in rags, but she wants to pull off her shawl, and give her. I dare say, she won't let this girl out of the house to-morrow till she has all her draggled clothes washed and fixed up, and may be then will send for a carriage to take her away. It is a great plague to anybody to have such a tender heart. It is all the time getting them into trouble.
"There, now I believe the silver is all safe, but mercy knows what will become of this night's adventure. So much for getting drunk. What does anybody want to get drunk for? There was McTravers, the brute, always getting drunk. I am sure, I love a little bitters to clear my throat in the morning, and a glass or two of wine at dinner, and a little hot stuff as I am going to bed, but as for getting drunk--bah--I hate anybody that gets drunk. Oh, dear, this night air, I wish I had not wasted all the hot water on the drunken dogs, for I do feel as though I wanted a dram now, and no more water--what will I do? I must take a little cold, or I shall not sleep a wink to-night. Bah, how I hate drunkards."