The Uncommercial took the liberty of hinting
that he hardly thought it probable that any lady
or gentleman in want of a likely young domestic
of retiring manners, would be tempted into the
engagement of either of the two leading Refractories,
on her own presentation of herself as per
sample.

"It ain't no good being nothink else here,"
said the Chief.

The Uncommercial thought it might be worth
trying.

"Oh no it ain't," said the Chief.

"Not a bit of good," said Number Two.

"And I'm sure I'd be very thankful to be got
into a place, or got abroad," said the Chief.

"And so should I," said Number Two. " Truly
thankful, I should."

Oakum Head then rose, and announced as an
entirely new idea, the mention of which profound
novelty might be naturally expected to
startle her unprepared hearers, that she would
be very thankful to be got into a place, or got
abroad. And, as if she had then said, " Chorus,
ladies!" all the Skirmishers struck up to the
same purpose. We left them, thereupon, and
began a long long walk among the women who
were simply old and infirm; but whenever, in
the course of this same walk, I looked out of
any high window that commanded the yard, I
saw Oakum Head and all the other Refractories
looking out at their low window for me, and
never failing to catch me, the moment I showed
my head.

In ten minutes I had ceased to believe in such
fables of a golden time as youth, the prime of
life, or a hale old age. In ten minutes, all the
lights of womankind seemed to have been blown
out, and nothing in that way to be left this vault
to brag of, but the nickering and expiring snuff's.

And what was very curious, was, that these
dim old women had one company notion which
was the fashion of the place. Every old woman
who became aware of a visitor and was not in
bed, hobbled over a form into her accustomed
seat, and became one of a line of dim old
women confronting another line of dim old
women across a narrow table. There was no
obligation whatever upon them to range themselves
in this way; it was their manner of "receiving."
As a rule, they made no attempt to
talk to one another, or to look at the visitor, or
to look at anything, but sat silently working
their mouths, like a sort of poor old Cows. In
some of these wards, it was good to see a few
green plants; in others, an isolated Refractory
acting as nurse, who did well enough in that
capacity, when separated from her compeers;
every one of these wards, day room, night
room, or both combined, was scrupulously clean
and fresh. I have seen as many such places as
most travellers in my line, and I never saw one
such, better kept.

Among the bedridden there was great patience,
great reliance on the books under the
pillow, great faith in GOD. All cared for sympathy,
but none much cared to be encouraged
with hope of recovery; on the whole, I should
say, it was considered rather a distinction to
have a complication of disorders, and to be in a
worse way than the rest. From some of the
windows the river could be seen with all its life
and movement; the day was bright, but I
came upon no one who was looking out.

In one large ward, sitting by the fire in armchairs
of distinction, like the President and Vice
of the good company, were two old women, upwards
of ninety years of age. The younger of
the two, just turned ninety, was deaf, but not
very, and could easily be made to hear. In her
early time she had nursed a child, who was now
another old woman, more infirm than herself, inhabiting
the very same chamber. She perfectly
understood this when the matron told it, and,
with sundry nods and motions of her forefinger,
pointed out the woman in question. The elder
of this pair, ninety-three, seated before an illustrated
newspaper (but not reading it), was a
bright-eyed old soul, really not deaf, wonderfully
preserved, and amazingly conversational.
She had not long lost her husband, and had been
in that place little more than a year. At Boston,
in the State of Massachusetts, this poor creature
would have been individually addressed, would
have been tended in her own room, and would
have had her life gently assimilated to a comfortable
life out of doors. Would that be much
to do in England for a woman who has kept herself
out of a workhouse more than ninety rough
long years? When Britain first, at Heaven's command,
arose, with a great deal of allegorical
confusion, from out the azure main, did her
guardian angels positively forbid it in the
Charter which has been so much be-sung?

The object of my journey was accomplished
when the nimble matron had no more to show
me. As I shook hands with her at the gate, I
told her that I thought Justice had not used her
very well, and that the wise men of the East
were not infallible.

Now, I reasoned with myself, as I made my
journey home again, concerning those Foul
wards. They ought not to exist; no person
of common decency and humanity can see them
and doubt it. But what is this Union to do?
The necessary alteration would cost several
thousands of pounds; it has already to support
three workhouses; its inhabitants work hard
for their bare lives, and are already rated for the
relief of the Poor to the utmost extent of reasonable
endurance. One poor parish in this very
Union is rated to the amount of FIVE AND SIXPENCE
in the pound, at the very same time when
the rich parish of Saint George's, Hanover-square,
is rated at about SEVENPENCE in the
pound, Paddington at about FOURPENCE, Saint
James's, Westminster, at about TENPENCE! It
is only through the equalisation of Poor Rates
that what is left undone in this wise, can be
done. Much more is left undone, or is ill-done,
than I have space to suggest in these notes of a
single uncommercial journey; but, the wise men
of the East, before they can reasonably hold
forth about it, must look to the North and
South and West; let them also, any morning