doings.

And, before long, the bells swung heavily in the church-tower,
and struck out with musical clang the first summons to afternoon
church.

After church was over, she used to return home to the same
window-seat, and watch till the winter twilight was over and
gone, and the stars came out over the black masses of houses. And
then she would steal down to ask for a candle, as a companion to
her in the deserted workroom. Occasionally the servant would
bring her up some tea; but of late Ruth had declined taking any,
as she had discovered she was robbing the kind-hearted creature
of part of the small provision left out for her by Mrs. Mason.
She sat on, hungry and cold, trying to read her Bible, and to
think the old holy thoughts which had been her childish
meditations at her mother's knee, until one after another the
apprentices returned, weary with their day's enjoyment and their
week's late watching; too weary to make her in any way a partaker
of their pleasure by entering into details of the manner in which
they had spent their day.

And, last of all, Mrs. Mason returned; and, summoning her "young
people" once more into the parlour, she read a prayer before
dismissing them to bed. She always expected to find them all in
the house when she came home, but asked no questions as to their
proceedings through the day; perhaps because she dreaded to hear
that one or two had occasionally nowhere to go to, and that it
would be sometimes necessary to order a Sunday's dinner, and
leave a lighted fire on that day.