An Old Beggar

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One day William Gadsby of Manchester heard his wife talking to a man at the door of their house who was pleading his poverty and begging for help. The man said something like this: “A lot of new beggars have come to Manchester, but I am not one of them. I am an old beggar. I have been begging here for years.” This touched Gadsby’s heart. He thought, “Yes, I too am an old beggar. I have been begging as a sinner at mercy’s door for many years, and must continue to do so. I am an old beggar.”