London, terrible, magnificent London, to my eyes like a huge monster, moving in countless directions. I walked along, , benumbed, dazzled as it were, with neither feeling nor thought, just shrinking a little when I saw the figure of a paper-boy slip through the mass of carriages and horses, risking his life a hundred times in order to catch a single . And yet, if he had been crushed by the wheels of a motor, or by the of a horse, would that have mattered? The wave of pleasure and would rush , and only in a little room a pale, woman might grow still a shade paler if by the break of dawn her boy had not come home. And realizing that, something within me revolted; I thought of Him in whose honour we are building altars of gold, burning , and all at once to me He lost His glory.  
Was He not sleeping within a leafy , drunk, and forgetful of His World?
 
And was there nobody who dared to rouse and sober Him?
 
The next second I was myself again. A silken gown , a silver horn whistled, and people next to me laughed. Feeling very tired and shivering with cold, I longed for shelter and rest. At last, after much asking and useless running here and there, I found a cheap German home for young girls. My limbs were trembling, and I could hardly stand when I was shown into the room of the directress. I remained on the threshold for a few minutes, so sweet and pleasing to me was the sight of that furnished place. All was softness and luxury; a of carpets, cushions, and easy chairs around a sparkling fire. On a little table there was a vase with fresh flowers, and in a cage near by a little yellow bird was swinging to and fro. Next to the fire there sat an elderly lady, with shawls round her shoulders and shawls on her knees. I felt like sitting down, closing my eyes, and saying nothing. However, the lady told me not to sit down because my wet clothes might soil the covers or the cushions. So I remained , and answered her questions as as I could.
 
"Is it a situation you want?"
 
"Yes."
 
"And to stay here while you are looking for something suitable?"
 
"Yes."
 
"You could hardly have found a better place than our home, but before I regard you as one of its occupants, I must ask you if you have got sufficient money to last you for at least two months, in case you should find no situation before then. Our home is a most respectable home, and I could not think of taking in anybody with a doubtful character."
 
As my friend had not only sent me enough money for the journey, but also a larger sum for ordinary expenses, I told the directress that my money would last for the board, but in my heart of hearts I was not to stay there for two months.
 
After having settled everything to her satisfaction, she pressed a button, and ordered the entering servant to take me to my room. This time there was no need for me to fear that I might soil any covers or cushions. The room looked cold and grey, and seemed to be as damp and as the foggy streets themselves. It contained a few wardrobes let into the wall, a few washstands, and eight beds.
 
"Are the beds all occupied?" I asked the maid.
 
"Of course," she replied, gazing at me with some surprise.
 
A little later the home filled with girls of all ages, and when the supper-bell rang, the dining-room was crowded with about two hundred girls. After supper, at which the girls were very noisy, we had to go into another room for prayer. On a footstool knelt the directress, with her eyes raised up to the ceiling. She began to recite a series of prayers, at the end of which we all sang a . Then the directress folded her hands once more, and said:
 
"O Lord, take care of all the helpless young girls that are in London without shelter and protection" ("And without money," I thought to myself). "Guard their footsteps to prevent them from stumbling, and have mercy on those who have, ! stumbled already. O most holy Lord, grant our prayers, enlighten the blind, and protect the defenceless. Amen."
 
She looked very sweet and as she knelt there, with her white head bowed reverently, and lost in prayer as it seemed. After a little while she got up and walked out. The girls followed her, laughing and pushing each other; they went up to their bedrooms, and I now became acquainted with the other occupants of my room. I did not care for them. They laughed continually, telling one another shameless stories, and I knew from their conversation that they were mostly chamber-maids and had come from Switzerland.
 
"Have you only arrived to-day?" someone asked me.
 
 
I turned round to the speaker, and saw that she was a girl of my age. Without knowing exactly why, I asked myself whether she was pretty or not, and while I answered her, I thought about the question I had put to myself, and at last that she was pretty. She had large bright eyes and auburn hair; her face was well-shaped, yet there was something in it to which I could not get used. What it was, however, I could not tell. She asked me a few other questions, and I inquired whether it was possible for me to find a situation soon.
 
"What kind of situation do you want?"
 
"I don't at all mind," I answered.
 
"As you do not seem to be so very particular, I think you will find one easily."
 
Later on I noticed that she slept in the bed next to me. I liked her best of all the girls. When she got into bed she rubbed her hands with glycerine, that was all. The others took far more trouble in getting ready for the night. Midst laughing and joking they took off their false plaits, etc., and throwing the things on their beds, they began to dance about on them. At ten o'clock the light had to be put out, but the girls became none the quieter for that. They had so many things to tell each other, and several times, when I was on the point of going off to sleep, their laughter woke me again.
 
By-and-by, however, the stories grew shorter, their jokes less frequent, and at last they all slept the sound, peaceful sleep of heedlessness. Although the girls had not made a very good impression on me, I was glad to rest my tired limbs, and while I listened to their breathing, my soul filled with almost happy thoughts.
 
On the following morning we had to assemble again for prayer, and I noticed that they were different from those of the evening before. Each girl having received a Bible, we formed a circle. Then the directress began to read a passage out of the Bible, and we had in our turn to continue.
 
When it was my turn I read:
 
"And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be , and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great-toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the offering."
 
At the end the directress again prayed for the "poor helpless girls," and after that we were free for the day. As soon as I had got up from my knees, I went over to the directress and asked her to give me an address at which I might inquire for a situation. She motioned me to follow her. In her room she sat down, and looked at me thoughtfully.
 
"You want to look for a place already to-day, don't you?" she said. "I can quite understand that you are in some hurry; but, as I have agreed to take care of your soul, I cannot let such an earnest matter as this one pass without giving you a little motherly advice. So many girls arrive in London daily, who have left their homes in the sweetness and of their youth, and who return home quite otherwise. Therefore I should like to know that you are prepared for all dangers which might threaten you. Will you promise to pray to God to take care of you, to assist you, to counsel you, to lead you?"
 
I promised everything.
 
"There, then, are several addresses where you may try to find something suitable, and I only hope that you will be received into the of a God-fearing family."
 
I thanked her v............