seen, and hung her head like a guilty one. She had resumed her former station on some straw-her bed!-in the extreme corner of the room, where she was squatting, with a little creature cowering close beside her, both munching ravenously the bread which had been purchased. The miserable father of the family was seated on the floor, with his back propped against the opposite side of the fireplace to that which I occupied, and held a child clasped loosely in his arms, though he had plainly fallen asleep. O what a wretched object! a foul, shapeless, brown paper cap on his head, and a ragged fustian jacket on his back, which a beggar might have spurned with loathing!

The sum of what the woman communicated to me was, that her husband, a bricklayer by trade, had been long unable to work, on account of his asthma; and that their only means of subsistence were a paltry pittance from the parish, her own scanty earnings as a washerwoman, which had been interrupted by her recent confinement, and charities collected by " Sal," and "Bobby who was then out begging." Their oldest son, Tim, a lad of sixteen, had been transported for seven years, the day before, for a robbery, of which his mother vehemently declared him innocent; and this last circumstance had, more than all the rest, completely broken the hearts of both his father and mother, who had absolutely starved themselves and their children, in order to hoard up enough to fee an Old-Bailey counsel to plead for their son! The husband had been for some time, I found, an out-patient of one of the Infirmaries; "and this poor little darlint," said she, sobbing bitterly, and hugging her infant closer to her, " has got the measles, I'm fearin'; and little Bobby, too, is catching them.-Och, murther -murther! Oh, Christ, pity us, poor sinners that we are!-Oh! what will we do;-what will we do ?" and she almost choked herself with stifling her sobs, for fear of waking her husband.

"And what is the matter with the child that your husband is holding in his arms?" I enquired, pointing to it, as it sat in its father's arms, munching a little crust of bread, and

ever and anon patting its father's face, exclaiming," Da-a-a!-Ab-babba!-Ab-bab-ba!"

"Och! what ails the cratur? Nothing, but that it's half-starved and naked-an' isn't that enough-an' isn't it kilt? I wish we all wereevery mother's son of us!" groaned the miserable woman, sobbing as if her heart would break. At that moment a lamentable noise was heard on the stairs, as of a lad crying, accompanied by the pattering of naked feet. "Och! murther!" exclaimed the woman, with an agitated air."What's ailing with Bobby? Is it crying he is ?" and starting to the door, she threw it open time enough to admit a ragged shivering urchin, about ten years old, without shoes or stockings, and having no cap, and rags pinned about him, which he was obliged to hold up with his right hand, while the other covered his left cheek. The little wretch, after a moment's pause, occasioned by seeing a strange gentleman in the room, proceeded to put three or four coppers into his mother's lap, telling her, with painful gestures, that a gentleman, whom he had followed a few steps in the street, importuning for charity, had turned round unexpectedly, and struck him a severe blow with a cane, over his face and shoulders.

"Let me look at your face, my poor little fellow," said I, drawing him to me; and on removing his hand, I saw a long weal all down the left cheek. I wish I could forget the look of tearless agony with which his mother put her arms round his neck, and drawing him to her breast, exclaimed, faintly," Bobby! My Bobby!" After a few moments she released the boy, pointing to the spot where his sisters sate still munching their bread. The instant he saw what they were doing, he sprung towards them, and plucked a large fragment from the loaf, fastening on it like a young wolf!

"Why, they'll finish the loaf before you've tasted it, my good woman," said I.

"Och, the poor things!- Let them

let them!" she replied, wiping away a tear. "I can do with out it longer than they-the craturs !"

"Well, my poor woman," said I, "I have not much time to spare, as

it is growing late. I came here to see what I could do for you as a doctor. How many of you are ill?"

"Fait, an' isn't it ailing-we all of us are! Ah, your honour!-A 'Firmary, without physic or victuals!"

"Well, we must see what can be done for you. What is the matter with your husband, there ?" said I, turning towards him. He was still asleep, in spite of the tickling and stroking of his child's hands, who, at the moment I looked, was trying to push the corner of its crust into its father's mouth, chuckling and crowing the while, as is the wont of children who find a passive subject for their drolleries.

"Och, och! the little villain-the thing, said she, impatiently, seeing the child's employment. "Isn't it waking him, it'll be?-st-st!"

"Let me see him nearer," said I; "I must wake him, and ask him a few questions."

I moved from my seat towards him. His head hung down drowsily. His wife took down the candle from the shelf, and held it a little above her husband's head, while I came in front of him, and stooped on one knee to interrogate him.

"Phelim! Love! Honey! Darlint!-Wake wid ye! And is'nt it the doctor that comes to see ye?" said she, nudging him with her knee. He did not stir, however. The child, regardless of us, was still playing with his passive features. A glimpse of the awful truth flashed across my mind.

"Let me have the candle a moment, my good woman," said I, rather seriously.

The man was dead.

He must have expired nearly an hour ago, for his face and hands were quite cold; but the position in which he sat, together with the scantiness of the light, concealed the event. It was fearful to see the ghastly pallor of the features, the fixed pupils, the glassy glare downwards, the fallen jaw!-Was it not a subject for a painter? The living child in the arms of its dead father, unconsciously sporting with a corpse!

*

To attempt a description of what ensued, would be idle and even ridiculous. It is hardly possible even

to imagine it! In one word, the neighbours who lived on the floor beneath were called in, and did their utmost to console the wretched widow and quiet the children. They laid out the corpse decently; and I left them all the silver I had about me, to enable them to purchase a few of the more pressing necessaries. I succeeded afterwards in gaining two of the children admittance into a charity school; and, through my wife's interference, the poor widow received the efficient assistance of an unobtrusive, but most incomparable institution," The Stranger's Friend Society." I was more than once present when those angels of mercy-those "true Samaritans"-the "Visitors" of the Society, as they are called-were engaged on this noble errand, and wished that their numbers were countless, and their means inexhaustible!

GRAVE DOINGS.

My gentle reader-start not at learning that I have been, in my time, a RESURRECTIONIST. Let not this appalling word, this humiliating confession, conjure up in your fancy a throng of vampire-like images and associations, or earn your "Physician's" dismissal from your hearts and hearths. It is your own groundless fears, my fair trembler!-your own superstitious prejudices that have driven me, and will drive many others of my brethren, to such dreadful doings as those hereafter detailed. Come, come-let us have one word of reason between us on the abstract question-and then for my tale. You expect us to cure you of disease, and yet deny us the only means of learning how? You would have us bring you the ore of skill and experience, yet forbid us to break the soil, or sink a shaft! Is this fair, fair reader? Is this reasonable?

What I am now going to describe was my first and last exploit in the way of body-stealing. It was a grotesque, if not aludicrous scene, and occurred during the period of my "walking the hospitals," as it is called, which oc cupied the two seasons immediately after my leaving Cambridge. A young and rather interesting female

was admitted a patient at the hospital I attended; her case baffled all our skill, and her symptoms even defied our nosology. Now it seemed an enlargement of the heart-now an ossification-now this, that, and the other; and at last it was plain we knew nothing at all about the matter-no, not even whether her disorder was organic or functional, primary or symptomatic-or whether it was really the heart that was at fault. She received no benefit at all under the fluctuating schemes of treatment we pursued, and at length fell into dying circumstances. As soon as her friends were apprized of her situation, and had an inkling of our intention to open the body, they insisted on removing her immediately from the hospital, that she might" die at home." In vain did Sir

and his dressers expostulate vehemently with them, and represent in exaggerated terms the imminent peril attending such a step. Her two brothers avowed their apprehension of our designs, and were inflexible in exercising their right of removing their sister. I used all my rhetoric on the occasion-but in vain, and at last said to the young men, "Well, if you are afraid only of our dissecting her, we can get hold of her, if we are so disposed, as easily if she died with you, as with us."

"Well-we'll troy that, measter," replied the elder, while his Herculean fist oscillated somewhat significantly before my eyes. The poor girl was removed accordingly to her father's house, which was at a certain village about five miles from London, and survived her arrival scarcely ten minutes! We soon contrived to receive intelligence of the event; and as I and Sir's two dressers had taken great interest in the case throughout, and felt intense curiosity about the real nature of the disease, we met together and entered into a solemn compact, that come what might, we would have her body out of the ground. A trusty spy informed us of the time and exact place of the girl's burial; and on expressing to Sir our determination about the matter, he patted me on the back, saying, "Ah, my fine fellow-IF you have spirit enoughdangerous," &c. &c. Was it not skilfully said? The baronet further told

us he felt himself so curious about the matter, that if fifty pounds would be of use to us, they were at our service. It needed not this, nor a glance at the eclat with which the successful issue of the affair would be attended among our fellow-students, to spur our resolves.

The notable scheme was finally adjusted at my rooms in the Borough. M-and E, Sir's dressers, and myself, with an experienced "grab," that is to say, a professional resurrectionist-were to set off from the Borough about nine o'clock the next evening-which would be the third day after the burial-in a glass coach, provided with all" appliances and means to boot." During the day, however, our friend the grab suffered so severely from an over-night's excess, as to disappoint us of his invaluable assistance. This unexpected contretemps nearly put an end to our project; for the few other grabs we knew, were absent on professional tours! Luckily, however, I bethought me of a poor Irish porter-a sort of "ne'er-do-weel" hanger-on at the hospital, whom I had several times hired to go on errands. This man I sent for to my rooms, and in the presence of my two coadjutors, persuaded, threatened, and bothered into acquiescence, promising him half a guinea for his evening's work-and as much whisky as he could drink prudently. As Mr Tip-that was the name he went by

had some personal acquaintance with the sick grab, he succeeded in borrowing his chief tools; with which, in a sack large enough to contain our expected prize, he repaired to my rooms about nine o'clock, while the coach was standing at the door. Our Jehu had received a quiet douceur in addition to the hire of himself and coach. As soon as we had exhibited sundry doses of Irish cordial to our friend Tip, under the effects of which he became quite "bouncible," and ranted about the feat he was to take a prominent part in-and equipped ourselves in our worst clothes, and white top-coats, we entered the vehicle-four in number-and drove off. The weather had been exceedingly capricious all the evening-moonlight, rain, thunder and lightning, fitfully alternating. The only thing we were anxious

about, was the darkness, to shield us from all possible observation. I must own that in analyzing the feelings that prompted me to undertake and go through with this affair, the mere love of adventure operated as powerfully as the wish to benefit the cause of anatomical science. A midnight expedition to the tombs!-It took our fancy amazingly; and then -Sir's cunning hint about the "danger"-and our "spirit!"

The garrulous Tip supplied us with amusement all the way downrattle, rattle, rattle, incessantly; but as soon as we had arrived at that part of the road where we were to stop, and caught sight of church, with its hoary steeple grey-glistening in the fading moonlight, as though it was standing sentinel over the graves around it, one of which we were going so rudely to violate, Tip's spirits began to falter a little. He said little-and that at intervals. To be very candid with the reader, none of us felt over much at our ease. Our expedition began to wear a somewhat hairbrained aspect, and to be environed with formidable contingencies which we had not taken sufficiently into our calculations. What, for instance, if the two stout fellows, the brothers, should be out watching their sister's grave? They were not likely to stand on much ceremony with us. And then the manual difficulties! Ewas the only one of us that had ever assisted at the exhumation of a body-and the rest of us were likely to prove but bungling workmen. However, we had gone too far to think of retreating. We none of us spoke our suspicions, but the silence that reigned within the coach was significant. In contemplation, however, of some such contingency, we had put a bottle of brandy in the coach-pocket; and before we drew up, we had all four of us drunk pretty deeply of it. At length, the coach turned down a by-lane to the left, which led directly to the churchyard wall; and after moving a few steps down it, in order to shelter our vehicle from the observation of highway passengers, the coach stopped, and the driver opened the door.

"Come, Tip," said I, " out with you!"

"Get out, did ye say, sir? Το

be sure I will-Out! to be sure I will." But there was small shew of alacrity in his movements as he descended the steps; for while I was speaking, I was interrupted by the solemn clangour of the church clock announcing the hour of midnight. The sounds seemed to warn us against what we were going to do.

""Tis a could night, yer honours," said Tip, in an under tone, as we successively alighted, and stood together, looking up and down the dark lane, to see if any thing was stirring but ourselves. ""Tis a could night-and-and-and"—he stam

mered.

Why, you cowardly old scoundrel," grumbled M"are you frightened already? What's the matter, eh? Hoist up the bag on your shoulders directly, and lead the way down the lane."

"Och, but yer honours-och! by the mother that bore me, but 'tis a murtherous cruel thing, I'm thinking, to wake the poor cratur from her last sleep." He said this so querulously, that I began to entertain serious apprehensions, after all, of his defection; so I insisted on his taking a little more brandy, by way of bringing him up to par. It was of no use, however. His reluctance increased every moment-and it even dispirited us. I verily believe the turning of a straw would have decided us all on jumping into the coach again, and returning home without accomplishing our errand. Too many of the students, however, were apprized of our expedition, for us to think of terminating it so ridiculously! As it were by mutual consent, we stood and paused a few moments, about half way down the lane. M- whistled with infinite success and distinctness; E▬▬ remarked to me that he " always thought that a churchyard at midnight was the gloomiest object imaginable;" and I talked about business- soon be over"-" shallow grave," &c. &c. "Confoundit-what if those two brothers of hers should be there?" said Mabruptly, making a dead stop, and folding his arms on his breast.

"Powerful fellows, both of them!" muttered E. We resumed our march-when Tip, our advanced

guard-a title he earned by anticipating our steps about three inches -suddenly stood still, let down the bag from his shoulders-elevated both hands in a listening attitudeand exclaimed "Whisht!-whisht!By my soul-what was that?" We all paused in silence, looking palely at one another-but could hear nothing except the drowsy flutter of a bat wheeling away from us a little over-head.

"Fait-an' wasn't it somebody spaking on the far side o' the hedge, I heard?" whispered Tip.

"Pho-stuff, you idiot!" I exclaimed, losing my temper. "Come, M and E, it's high time we had done with all this cowardly nonsense, and if we mean really to do any thing, we must make haste. 'Tis past twelve-day breaks about four -and it is coming on wet, you see." Several large drops of rain, pattering heavily among the leaves and branches, corroborated my words, by announcing a coming shower, and the air was sultry enough to warrant the expectation of a thun der-storm. We therefore buttoned up our great-coats to the chin, and hurried on to the churchyard wall, which ran across the bottom of the lane. This wall we had to climb over to get into the churchyard, and it was not a very high one. Here Tip annoyed us again. I told him to lay down his bag, mount the wall, and look over into the yard, to see whether all was clear before us; and, as far as the light would enable him, to look about for a new-made grave. Very reluctantly he complied, and contrived to scramble to the top of the wall. He had hardly time, however, to peer over into the churchyard, when a fluttering streak of lightning flashed over us, followed in a second or two by a loud burst of thunder! Tip fell in an instant to the ground, like a cockchaffer shaken from an elm-tree, and lay crossing himself, and muttering Pater-nosters. We could scarce help laughing at the manner in which he tumbled down, simultaneously with the flash of lightning. "Now, look ye, gentlemen," said he, still squatted on the ground, " do ye mane to give the poor cratur Christian burial, when ye've done wid her? An' will ye put her back again as ye

VOL. XXIX. NO. CLXXXI,

found her? 'Case, if you wont, blood an' oons"

"Now, look ye, Tip," said I, sternly, taking out one of a brace of empty pistols I had put into my great-coat pocket, and presenting it to his head,

we have hired you on this business, for the want of a better, you wretched fellow! and if you give us any more of this nonsense, by I'll send a bullet through your brain! Do you hear me, Tip?"

"Och, aisy, aisy wid ye! don't murther me! Bad luck to me, that I ever cam wid ye! Och, and if ivir I live to die, wont I see and bury my ould body out o' the rache of all the docthers in the world? If I don't, divil burn me!" We all laughed aloud at Mr Tip's truly Hibernian expostulation.

"Come, sir, mount! over with you!" said we, helping to push him upwards. "Now, drop this bag on the other side," we continued, giving him the sack that contained our implements. We all three of us then followed, and alighted safely in the churchyard. It poured with rain; and to enhance the dreariness and horrors of the time and place, flashes of lightning followed in quick succession, shedding a transient awful glare over the scene, revealing the white tombstones, the ivy-grown venerable church, and our own figures, a shivering group, come on an unhallowed errand! I perfectly well recollect the lively feelings of apprehension-the "compunctious visitings of remorse"-which the circumstances called forth in my own breast, and which I had no doubt were shared by my companions.

As no time, however, was to be lost, I left the group for an instant under the wall, to search out the grave. The accurate instructions I had received enabled me to pitch on the spot with little difficulty; and I returned to my companions, who immediately followed me to the scene of operations. We had no umbrellas, and our great-coats were saturated with wet; but the brandy we had recently taken did us good service, by exhilarating our spirits, and especially those of Tip. He untied the sack in a twinkling, and shook out the hoes and spades, &c.; and taking one of the latter himself, he commenced digging with such ener

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