be scalded well, and oh, ma, I wonder anyone of us is
alive for we're not half clean! The poison pours out of
the skin night and day, carbolic acid she said, and every
last wan o' us should have a sponge bath at night--that's
just to slop yerself all up and down with a rag, and an
oliver in the mornin'. Ma, what's an oliver, d'ye think?"

"Ask Camilla," Mrs. Watson said, somewhat alarmed at
these hygienic problems. "Camilla is grand at explaining
Mrs. Francis's quare ways."

Pearl's brown eyes were full of worry.

"It's hard to git time to be healthy, ma," she said; "we
should keep the kittle bilin' all the time, she says, to
keep the humanity in the air--Oh, I wish she hadn't a
told me, I never thought atin' hurt anyone, but she says
lots of things that taste good is black pison. Isn't it
quare, ma, the Lord put such poor works in us and us not
there at the time to raise a hand."

They sewed in silence for a few minutes.

Then Pearl said: "Let us go to bed now, ma, me eyes are
shuttin'. I'll go back to-morrow and ask Camilla about
the 'oliver.'"



CHAPTER IV