a farm or two a expression for the sale of land but then i have often heard yon say that it was a misfortune for a young fellow to have too much money it is worse however for him to have none observed the other bad for a boy and much worse for a delicate woman like mrs we are not beggars yet my dear fellow answered carelessly but with a blush that betrayed even more than the succeeding sentence i have been extravagant no doubt but what helps to keep me short is a certain charge upon the estate which is a family secret this news astonished mr and he looked grave enough not because of the secret however but because of s reference to his being already short � which he rightly judged could not have occurred to one in his position unless things had gone very very far indeed of course it is not my business old fellow end i know i am pressing the of an old friend to its extreme limit but i would remind you that you are not now alone in the world you have sometimes me concerning my opinions but you know it is stated in the bible that a man who does not make provision his wife and children is worse than an the text has reference it is supposed to a marriage settlement you don t say so said dick simply well i made no settlement would not hear of such a thing yon can make one without her hearing of it true i ll think about it there is a pair of horses to be sold at s this morning if you drive round with me but there you don t know a horse from a and off he walked a little out of humor i know an ass when i see him sighed mr to himself for he knew the value of dick s i ll think about it it was creditable in to venture upon any subject that was distasteful to another because it was always twice as distasteful to himself but this did not prevent him from to the matter only this time he made his appeal elsewhere � to herself her position so brilliant as it looked so pitiful as it was � her bright smile with the heavy care behind it had touched his heart and he was resolved to save her from the coming ruin if it should be possible some fresh act of extravagance on her husband s part � for which he had not long to gave him the ed opportunity and he seized it dick will never be old he said if he lives to be a thousand no he wears the yoke of matrimony as if it were a flower answered no one can accuse me of having crushed him the yoke is light to bear in his case mrs but i wish he would think a little more of his s face darkened i have nothing to complain of in my husband mr of course not it is i who complain of him as the friend of both of you don t be angry with me it is no fault of his only there has been a certain in his arrangements for the future that i would venture to speak about and the more so because i know it has not struck you may i say one word on a mere matter of business business i am the person in the world my dear mr to understand such a thing true but the very first who ought to understand it one word from you to your husband would i am sure set right a matter that concerns you most nearly and which is very very far from right at present s face was paler than it had been in days of and it now grew paler yet i am sure that whatever you may have to say will be dictated by kindness mr she said i found out that quite early when i brought you out at the imperial but i cannot hear anything that blame to my husband not blame dear mrs he has only made a mistake which the expression of a wish on your part � � n ft i ma u n ok less black than were fainted he did right she said i brought him nothing and i accept of nothing yon speaking of the past he said i am looking to the and i also mr i look at nothing else her trembled a little as she said these words but grew firm again as she added i thank you from my heart for your good intentions but the matter to which yon refer is one on which i alone can be the judge her tone the possibility of further discussion and after a few mr took hb leave his reflections were identical with those awakened by his late interview with richard only no man even to himself ever calls a pretty woman an ass this is madness was his thought on this occasion to a false and absurd sense of obligation to her husband she is about to sacrifice herself and her babe the poor soul thinks she can support all three by her singing chapter � it is difficult � very difficult � to find a test that shall be of a good husband a man may be very domestic and ail the worse for it or devoted and yet desperately jealous he may be kind and indulgent and yet careless of his wife s health or how he taxes it or he may be a model husband � whose attractions are often found too great to be resisted by his neighbor s there is nothing certain to be gathered of the real merits of a from this or that attribute but perhaps the best test � if test be 