Alfred ventured to ask his trade, and was told he was being brought
up to wait on his father, who was a bricklayer, but that a ladder had
fallen with him as he was going up with a heavy load, and he had been
taken at once to the hospital. The house on which he was employed
belonged to a friend of Mr. Cope, and all in the power of this
gentleman had been done for him, but that was not much, for it was
one of the families that no one can serve; the father drank, and the
mother was forced to be out charing all day, and was so rough a
woman, that she could hardly be much comfort to poor Jem when she was
at home.

Alfred was quite taken up with the history by this time, and kept
looking at Mr. Cope, as if he would eat it up with his eager eyes.
Ellen asked compassionately who did for the poor boy all day.

'His mother runs in at dinner-time, if she is not at work too far
off, and he has a jug of water and a bit of bread where he can reach
them; the door is open generally, so that he can call to some of the
other lodgers, but though the house is as full as a bee-hive, often
nobody hears him. I believe his great friend is a little school-
girl, who comes and sits by him, and reads to him if she can; but she
is generally at school, or else minding the children.'

'It must be very lonely,' said Alfred, perceiving for the first time
that there could be people worse off than himself; 'but has he no
books to read?'

'He was so irregularly sent to school, that he could not read to
himself, even if his corner were not so dark, and the window so