Errandsofmercy——errandsofsin——didyoueverthinkwhereallthethousandsofpeopleyoudailymeetarebound？Barton’swasanerrandofmercy；butthethoughtsofhisheartweretouchedbysin，bybitterhatredofthehappy，whomhe，forthetime，confoundedwiththeselfish。Hereachedadruggist’sshop，andentered。ThedruggistwhosesmoothmannersseemedtohavebeensalvedoverwithhisownspermacetilistenedattentivelytoBarton’sdescriptionofDavenport’sillness；concludeditwastyphusfever，veryprevalentinthatneighbourhood；andproceededtomakeupabottleofmedicine，sweetspiritsofnitre，orsomesuchinnocentpotion，verygoodforslightcolds，bututterlypowerlesstostop，foraninstant，theragingfeverofthepoormanitwasintendedtorelieve。Herecommendedthesamecoursetheyhadpreviouslydeterminedtoadopt，applyingthenextmorningforaninfirmaryorder；andBartonlefttheshopwithcomfortablefaithinthephysicgivenhim；formenofhisclass，iftheybelieveinphysicatall，believethateverydescriptionisequallyefficacious。Meanwhile，WilsonhaddonewhathecouldatDavenport’shome。Hehadsoothed，andcoveredthemanmanyatimehehadfedandhushedthelittlechild，andspokentenderlytothewoman，wholaystillinherweaknessandherweariness。Hehadopenedadoor，butonlyforaninstant；itledintoabackcellar，withagratinginsteadofawindow，downwhichdroppedthemoisturefrompigsties，andworseabominations。Itwasnotpaved；thefloorwasonemassofbadsmellingmud。Ithadneverbeenusedfortherewasnotanarticleoffurnitureinit；norcouldahumanbeing，muchlessapig，havelivedtheremanydays。Yetthe“backapartment“madeadifferenceintherent。TheDavenportspaidthreepencemoreforhavingtworooms。
whenheturnedroundagain，hesawthewomansucklingthechildfromherdry，witheredbreast。“Surelytheladisweaned!“exclaimedhe，insurprise。“Why，howoldishe？““Goingontwoyear，“shefaintlyanswered。“But，oh!itkeepshimquietwhenI’venoughtelsetogi’him，andhe’llgetabitofsleeplyingthere，ifhe’sgettennoughtbeside。Wehandoneourbesttogi’thechilderfood，howe’erwepinchedourselves。““Hanyehadnomoneyfra’th’town？““No；mymasterisBuckinghamshireborn；andhe’sfearedthetownwouldsendhimbacktohisparish，ifhewenttoth’board；sowe’vejustborneoninhopeo’bettertimes。ButIthinkthey’llnevercomeinmyday，“
andthepoorwomanbeganherweakhigh-pitchedcryagain。“Here，supthisdropo’gruel，andthentryandgetabito’sleep。JohnandIwillwatchbyyourmasterto-night。““God’sblessingbeonyou。“Shefinishedthegruel，andfellintoadeadsleep。Wilsoncoveredherwithhiscoataswellashecould，andtriedtomovelightlyforfearofdisturbingher；butthereneedhavebeennosuchdread，forhersleepwasprofoundandheavywithexhaustion。Onceonlysherousedtopullthecoatroundherlittlechild。AndnowallWilson’scare，andBarton’stoboot，waswantedtorestrainthewildmadagonyofthefeveredman。Hestartedup，heyelled，heseemedinfuriatedbyoverwhelminganxiety。Hecursedandswore，whichsurprisedWilson，whoknewhispietyinhealth，andwhodidnotknowtheunbridledtongueofdelirium。Atlengthheseemedexhausted，andfellasleep；andBartonandWilsondrewnearthefire，andtalkedtogetherinwhispers。
Theysatonthefloor，forchairstherewerenone；thesoletablewasanoldtubturnedupsidedown。Theyputoutthecandleandconversedbytheflickeringfire-light。“Hanyoknownthischaplong？“askedBarton。“Betternorthreeyear。He’sworkedwi’Carsonsthatlong，andwerealwayasteady，civil-spokenfellow，though，asIsaidafore，somewhatofaMethodee。
IwishI’dgettenaletterhesenthismissis，aweekortwoagone，whenhewereontrampforwork。Itdidmyheartgoodtoreadit；for，yosee，Iwereabitgrumblingmysel；itseemedbardtobespungingonJem，andtakinga’hisflesh-meatmoneytobuybreadformeandthemasIoughttobekeeping。But，yoknow，thoughIcanearnnought，Imuneatsummut。
Well，asItelledye，Iweregrumbling，whensheindicatingthesleepingwomanbyanodbroughtmeBen’sletter，forshecouldna’readhersel。
ItwereasgoodasBible-words；ne’erawordo’repining；a’aboutGodbeingourfather，andthatwemunbearpatientlywhate’erhesends。““Donyethinkhe’sth’masters’father，too？I’dbelothtohave’emforbrothers。““Eh，John!donnatalkso；surethere’smanyandmanyamasterasgoodorbetternorus。““Ifyouthinkso，tellmethis。Howcomesitthey’rerich，andwe’repoor？
I’dliketoknowthat。Hantheydoneasthey’dbedonebyforus？“ButWilsonwasnoarguer；nospeechifier，ashewouldhavecalledit。SoBarton，seeinghewaslikelytohaveithisownway，wenton。“You’llsayatleastmanyaonedoes，they’ngettencapitalan’we’ngettennone，Isay，ourlabour’sourcapital，andweoughttodrawinterestonthat。Theygetinterestontheircapitalsomehowa’thistime，whileournislyingidle，elsehowcouldtheyallliveastheydo？Besides，there’smanyon’emhashadnoughttobeginwi’；there’sCarsons，andDuncombes，andMengies，andmanyanother，ascornedintoManchesterwithclothestotheirback，andthatwereall，andnowthey’reworththeirtensofthousands，a’gettenoutofourlabour；whytheverylandasfetchedbutsixtypoundtwentyyearsagoneisnowworthsixhundred，andthat，too，isowingtoourlabour：butlookatyo，andseeme，andpoorDavenportyonder；whattenbetterarewe？They’nscrewedusdowntoth’lowestpeg，inordertomaketheirgreatbigfortunes，andbuildtheirgreatbighouses，andwe，whywe’rejustclemming，manyandmanyofus。Canyousaythere’snoughtwronginthis？““Well，Barton，I’llnotgainsayye。ButMrCarsonspoketomeafterth’
fire，andsayshe，’Ishallha’toretrench，andbeverycarefulinmyexpenditureduringthesebadtimes，Iassureye’；soyoseeth’masterssuffertoo。““Hantheyeverseenachildo’their’ndieforwanto’food？“askedBarton，inalow，deepvoice。“Idonnotmean，“continuedhe，“tosayasI’msobadlyoff。I’dscorntospeakformysel；butwhenIseesuchmenasDavenporttheredyingaway，forveryclemming，Icannotstandit。I’vebutgottenMary，andshekeepsherselfprettymuch。Ithinkwe’llha’togiveuphousekeeping；butthatIdonnotmind。“Andinthiskindoftalkthenight，thelongheavynightofwatching，woreaway。Asfarastheycouldjudge，Davenportcontinuedinthesamestate，althoughthesymptomsvariedoccasionally。Thewifeslepton，onlyrousedbythecryofherchildnowandthen，whichseemedtohavepoweroverher，whenfarloudernoisesfailedtodisturbher。Thewatchersagreed，thatassoonasitwaslikelyMrCarsonwouldbeupandvisible，Wilsonshouldgotohishouse，andkegforaninfirmaryorder。Atlengththegreydawnpenetratedevenintothedarkcellar；Davenportslept，andBartonwastoremainthereuntilWilson’sreturn；so，steppingoutintothefreshair，briskandreviving，eveninthatstreetofabominations，WilsontookhiswaytoMrCarson’s。WilsonhadabouttwomilestowalkbeforehereachedMrCarson’shouse，whichwasalmostinthecountry。Thestreetswerenotyetbustlingandbusy。Theshopmenwerelazilytakingdowntheshutters，althoughitwasneareighto’clock；forthedaywaslongenoughforthepurchasespeoplemadeinthatquarterofthetown，whiletradewassoflat。Oneortwomiserable-lookingwomenweresettingoffontheirday’sbeggingexpedition。Buttherewerefewpeopleabroad。MrCarson’swasagoodhouse，andfurnishedwithdisregardtoexpense。But，inadditiontolavishexpenditure，therewasmuchtasteshown，andmanyarticleschosenfortheirbeautyandeleganceadornedhisrooms。AsWilsonpassedawindowwhichahousemaidhadthrownopen，hesawpicturesandgilding，atwhichhewastemptedtostopandlook；butthenhethoughtitwouldnotberespectful。Sohehastenedontothekitchendoor。Theservantsseemedverybusywithpreparationsforbreakfast；butgood-naturedly，thoughhastily，toldhimtostepin，andtheycouldsoonletMrCarsonknowhewasthere。Sohewasusheredintoakitchenhungroundwithglitteringtins，wherearoaringfireburntmerrily，andwherenumbersofutensilshunground，atwhosenatureanduseWilsonamusedhimselfbyguessing。Meanwhile，theservantsbustledtoandfro；anout-doorman-servantcameinfororders，andsatdownnearWilson。Thecookbroiledsteaks，andthekitchen-maidtoastedbread，andboiledeggs。Thecoffeesteameduponthefire，andaltogethertheodoursweresomixedandappetising，thatWilsonbegantoyearnforfoodtobreakhisfast，whichhadlastedsincedinnerthedaybefore。Iftheservantshadknownthis，theywouldhavewillinglygivenhimmeatandbreadinabundance；
buttheywereliketherestofus，andnotfeelinghungerthemselves，forgotitwaspossibleanothermight。SoWilson’scravingturnedtosickness，whiletheychattedon，makingthekitchen’sfreeandkeenremarksupontheparlour。“Howlateyouwerelastnight，Thomas!““Yes，Iwasrightwearyofwaiting；theytoldmetobeattheroomsbytwelve；andthereIwas。Butitwastwoo’clockbeforetheycalledme。““Anddidyouwaitallthattimeinthestreet？“askedthehousemaid，whohaddoneherworkforthepresent，andcomeintothekitchenforabitofgossip。“Myeyeaslike!youdon’tthinkI’msuchafoolastocatchmydeathofcold，andletthehorsescatchtheirdeathtoo，asweshouldha’doneifwe’dstoppedthere。No!Iputth’horsesupinth’stablesatth’SpreadEagle，andwentmysel’，andgotaglassortwobyth’fire。They’redrivingagoodcustom，them，wi’coachmen。Therewerefiveonus，andwe’dmanyaquarto’ale，andginwi’it，tokeepoutth’cold。““Mercyonus，Thomas；you’llgetadrunkardatlast!““IfIdo，Iknowwhoseblameitwillbe。Itwillbemissis’s，andnotmine。
Fleshandbloodcan’tsittobestarvedtodeathonacoach-box，waitingforfolksasdon’tknowtheirownmind。“Aservant，semi-upper-housemaid，semi-lady’s-maid，nowcamedownwithordersfromhermistress。“Thomas，youmustridetothefishmonger’s，andsaymissiscan’tgiveabovehalf-a-crownapoundforsalmonforTuesday；she’sgrumblingbecausetrade’ssobad。Andshe’llwantthecarriageatthreetogotothelecture，Thomas；
attheRoyalExecution；youknow。“Aye，aye，Iknow。““Andyou’dbetterallofyoumindyourP’sandQ’s，forshe’sveryblackthismorning。She’sgotabadheadache。““It’sapityMissJenkinsisnotheretomatchher。Lord!howsheandmissisdidquarrelwhichhadgottheworstheadaches；itwasthatMissJenkinsleftfor；shewouldnotgiveuphavingbadheadaches，andmissiscouldnotabideanyonetohave’embutherself。““Missiswillhaveherbreakfastup-stairs，cook，andthecoldpartridgeaswasleftyesterday，andputplentycreaminhercoffee，andshethinksthere’sarollleft，andshewouldlikeitwellbuttered。“Sosaying，themaidleftthekitchentobereadytoattendtotheyoungladies’bellwhentheychosetoring，aftertheirlateassemblythenightbefore。Intheluxuriouslibrary，atthewell-spreadbreakfast-table，satthetwoMrCarsons，fatherandson。Bothwerereading——thefatheranewspaper，thesonareview——whiletheylazilyenjoyedtheirnicelypreparedfood。
Thefatherwasaprepossessinglookingoldman；perhapsself-indulgentyoumightguess。Thesonwasstrikinglyhandsome，andknewit。Hisdresswasneatandwellappointed，andhismannersfarmoregentlemanlythanhisfather’s。Hewastheonlyson，andhissisterswereproudofhim；hisfatherandmotherwereproudofhim：hecouldnotsetuphisjudgementagainsttheirs；hewasproudofhimself。ThedooropenedandinboundedAmy，thesweetyoungestdaughterofthehouse，alovelygirlofsixteen，freshandglowing，andbrightasarosebud。
Shewastooyoungtogotoassemblies，atwhichherfatherrejoiced，forhehadlittleAmywithherprettyjokes，andherbird-likesongs，andherplayfulcaressesalltheeveningtoamusehiminhisloneliness；andshewasnottoomuchtired，likeSophyandHelen，togivehimhersweetcompanyatbreakfastthenextmorning。Hesubmittedwillinglywhilesheblindedhimwithherhands，andkissedhisroughredfaceallover。Shetookhisnewspaperawayafteralittlepretendedresistance，andwouldnotallowherbrotherHarrytogoonwithhisreview。“I’mtheon]yladythismorning，papa，soyouknowyoumustmakeagreatdealofme。““Mydarling，Ithinkyouhaveyourownwayalways，whetheryou’retheonlyladyornot。““Yes，papa，you’reprettygoodandobedient，Imustsaythat；butI’msorrytosayHarryisverynaughty，anddoesnotdowhatItellhim；doyou，Harry？““I’msureIdon’tknowwhatyoumeantoaccusemeof，Amy；Iexpectedpraiseandnotblame；fordidnotIgetyouthateaudePortugalfromtown，thatyoucouldnotmeetwithatHughes’，youlittleungratefulpuss？““Didyou？Oh，sweetHarry；you’reassweetascandePortugalyourself；