A most unhappy family lived in one of the small villages of Portugal. The husband, not content on coming home at night and calling his wife bad names, used to beat her, kick her, and even threaten to turn her out of doors. The cause of such conduct can be easily guessed; he used to stay out late at night and frequented bad company. The poor woman, at last despairing of her husband turning over a new leaf, determined to destroy herself. One night, after her husband had gone to his usual haunts, just as she was fetching the rope which was to put an end to her misery in this world, she heard a...