The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-30
would have been lost to

annuity would have been lost to
him.
1900 year is heavy sum to lose
in family" remarked.
cit is not so much as that" size
quickly replied. s:'The insurance
takes up-I forget exactly what, but
1 think more than hundred of it.
"What insurance ?" I said.
81 insured my life some years ago.
Did I never tell you of it? I should
think did
But she had not never heard of
it till then.
cit was after vary bad confine-
ment, when Jane was born" nv
sister went on. ''They thought then
that I should lose my life, and so
did [ think it. And whilst I Law
here, getting better, it occurred to
me that though could not continue
the annuity to my children, 1 might
insure my life with part of it, and
thus secure them something. So
insured it for ye3, ,000."
Il am very glad to hear it, L
l said. ''Iour husband ought to in
sure his
He has often talked of it, but has
never been able to spare the money.
We live quite up to our income,
Hester-or beyond it."
(Which is the height of impru-
dence. Suppose you were both
suppose anything we're to happen to
you both, there would be absolutely
nothing for the children but a3, OOO."
Nothing. Except the. furniture
and any book debts"
''Six children, and only e3.ooo,"
L mused, whatever would be-
come of them?" And I put on my
conslderlng-cap again, and began to
work out an idea which had been
haunting me sor some days. 'sMary,"
L SAID, after while, suppose I re-
heve you of one Of the girls, Mary.
II you can spare her, and take her to
London with me, and finish her edu
cation, free of expense to you? Could
you not put the other two to school,
discharge the governcss, and retrench
your homo expenses? You might
retrench them, it seems, by one-half,
ana yet live IN sufficient style
81 am quite willing to retrench if
you can bring Matthew into the
mind, said Mrs. Goring. "But do
you believe it would be more ccono-
my to place even two children at
school, than to keep governess?"
eyes, do" was my decided an
swer. ''If L am to help in this mat
ter at all, Mary, Miss Howard must
leave"
L suppose / spoke too pointedly,
and so overshot my mark, for nv
sister looked at me, and warm flush
came into her face
"Hester! do you not like Miss
Howard?"
'She may be good instructrcss,
coldly answered, "but, in my OPT
Mon, is not altogether desirable
person to retain in your house, the
guide and companion of Mary
81 see what you think" cried nv
sister, ncrvously throwing one arm
out of bed-''you think she is too
familiar with my husband?"
"Her manners are certainly not
what l approve" I observed.
'But you know that Matthew talks
and laughs with every one,o again
said Mrs. Goring. "And some
young women are so vain as to mis-
take that for pointed attentions
"There's not much harm in laugh
ing and talking, when it's confined
to that, [ growled, feeling angry
with Matthew in my heart; "but his
governess should be an
exception, even from this"
$50 [ told him." said my sister.
sfor [ did demonstrate with him one
day about it. In the drawing-room.
in my presence, he will pay her more
attention than he does me; at the
dinner table the same. Once, in
coming home late at night, he gave
her his arm, and left me to walk with
Mary; and he seems to talk to her
about all sorts of confidential things,
often in whisper-fami7y matters
money matters, which ought to be
conversed on only with me. be-
lieve, too, they go out walking to-
gether, or, rather join each other
when they get outside the town,
which is very bad on Miss Howard's
part. But it is not so much the bare
fact of all this [ dislike, as-''
CAS- what?" asked, finding Mary
hesitate.
"Their manners to each other
though scarcely know how to ex-
press what [ mean. They are more
conslderate, more tender, implying,
seemingly, mental undarstandinn