The little wretches were perfectly unable to abstain from indulging in a pleasure of such intensity.

Annie had indeed fallen upon evil days.
I am thus minute in my description of her first day, that my reader, understanding something similar of many following days, may be able to give due weight to the influence of other events, when, in due time, they come to be recorded.

But I must not conclude the account without mentioning something which befell her at the close of the same day, and threatened to be productive of yet more suffering.
After _worship_, the boys crawled away to bed, half-asleep already; or, I should rather say, only half-awake from their prayers.

Annie lingered.
"Can ye no tak' aff yer ain claes, as weel as pit them on, Annie ?" asked Mrs Bruce.
"Ay, weel eneuch.

Only I wad sair like a bittie o' can'le," was Annie's trembling reply, for she had a sad foreboding instinct now.
"Can'le! Na, na, bairn," answered Mrs Bruce.