hate to have it left in that way a day longer i have told out and out what we are going to do and if she won t listen to reason she must take the consequences yes might have been only a lay figure with a capacity for uttering set phrases for all the he ever took with his sister she went on talking to him more to free her mind than because it made the least difference whether he agreed with her or not that young mr coming here at this time was very fortunate she proceeded after what he told me i was sure that the i had heard in boston were true pretended not to believe a word as long as there was any use in pretending and then said she should wait until her husband came home to give him a chance to deny it if he would i never was so out of patience in my life of course he will deny it and she is just enough to believe him oh the stuff and nonsense she talked to me she couldn t believe anything about the father of her children she said perhaps she hadn t done her whole duty herself he was a literary man and couldn t be expected to stay in a dull place like you can believe i knew how to answer her you ve had eight years or more of this sort of marriage i said and i should think that was long enough trial to give any my husband i you him man he has been gone this time most six months and you are getting to be the laughing stock of the whole place when he comes back you ll run down the walk to meet him as you ve always done and throw your arms around his neck it is disgusting and he off with other women while you are for his young ones of course she cried and said she couldn t believe he could do anything wrong and that she loved him very much and all that sort of thing i never could have thought a would act so the paused from sheer exhaustion at her own rapid speech i told her not to be a little but to stand up for her rights like a woman she went on presently to the lay figure i said here is the name where he visits at boston and the very street and number will you go down there or send some one to watch them when he comes from europe you can get a divorce and make him pay a good sum as but she wouldn t consent to anything she would only say that when he came she would ask him about it and she couldn t tell what she would do until she heard his side of the story then i got provoked in earnest you haven t anything of your own i said but this house and i suppose you are on me to support you when your fine husband goes off for good with his sweetheart now let me tell you that you won t ever get a dollar of mine as long as you stick to that man when he stops sending his you can go to the for all of me i will have the will changed before i am a week older and then i walked out of the house leaving her crying like a baby oh i wish she had half of my she wouldn t go on her husband s year after year letting that fool her as be does i yes there seemed to be nothing to call for any other reply on the part of the lay figure a few minutes later the clock struck nine and the signal was immediately recognized by both of them for thirty years and more they had gone to bed at nine o clock and risen at five summer and winter ten minutes after the ninth stroke had died away both of them were sound asleep aunt s prompt call as soon as she had her story to tell did not add to s peace of mind the had not crossed the threshold for a long time before the day when she came with the in her hands and threw it without pity into the quiet house to entertain a dim fear that her husband had improper reasons for his long was one thing to have a name given her with a number and street was quite another she had no one to go to poor child with her troubles and it seemed especially hard just at this time that mr whose presence had been such a consolation should come so seldom and at his visits appear so constrained and unnatural the situation grew so painful at last that resolved at whatever cost to have an understanding with one evening they strolled down the street together and he opened the conversation how much longer do you expect to stay in laughed it is a curious thing that i was just on the point of asking you the same question he said too know oh as for me responded i may stay here forever for all i know being without any business one place is the same to me as another you seem to find this one very agreeable said the other in a sly tone couldn t help understanding this and he flushed hotly but he only said yes very laughed again we might as well be honest with each other he said in a familiar tone you know what brought me here and i know what keeps you here i have found out what i came to learn and you he paused appearing to think that the sentence did not need finishing but his look was sufficiently expressive you came here said slowly biting off the end 