The record-union., 1895-11-09

brought into the home for the last
month, and | may toll and MOL, and he
can dress himself up as if he was the
lord OF the land, and chuck his money
away as if his pockets were stuffed with
| Dank notes-him that can't earn ten
shillings a week, and can't find nobody
to tIust him with half-a-croWn Him
| canvasser, indeed Why, he had much
better stop in the shop than wear out
his bootleather when he can't do moth
ing a cause of his being so shabby.
Why, they turn him out of any respect
able place. And my daughter, as
might have married plumbers young
man who has now got a shop OF his own,
and makes his four pound week regu-
lar!"
This is only sample of the lady's or
atory. She said a good deal more, While
the younger woman sat down and at
tended to the claims of the baby, who
had begun to cry.
We all remained speeches. while the
TRADE was being delivered. Miss Hilton,
very pale, stood clutching the piano,
and gazing alternately now at Sydney
and now at the woman with the baby
| Mrs CarstairS stood in wide-eyed as
toniShment not comprehending the
scene or what she was hearing.
Sydney" she said at last, turning to
her son. what does this mean? Who
are these people?"
| Ilc ildQ OeSIl SltlQluS HlOllOUleSS W1lU
downcast head, but at his mothers APP
peal he came forward, and with an air
of forced calmness said:
Mother, this lady is my motherin-
law, Mrs. Thompson, and this Is my
wife, and this is my youngest child.
There are two others. Your ideas about
me need some slight correction. I
don't write for the Times, nor for any
thing else 1t is true that L am con-
nected with the press, but L am only
canVasser, and a canvasser for some OF
| the poorest and meaneSt papers that
were ever printed. On the whole, l am
a little superior in rank to the men
whom you see carrying boards in the
streets. / earn very little money, and
sometimes none at all. [ couldn't get
on without Mrs. Thompson, who has
just been expressing her views so
powerfully, though perhaps a trifle in
cOherently. She keeps a shop, where
we sell bottles of lemonade and sweets
and marbles and penny weekly news
papers. And sometimes we do badly,
and then we don't have enough to eat,
and some times we do better, and then
we have shrimps for tea. And,
mother"
He stopped, sort of spasm seemed to
check his utterance, and to run like a
wave through his whole body. Then
crying:
| NJ NOu. MY NTOu! L can Dear IL!
he fell on the sofa and buried his head
in the cushions. The poor mother tot
tered to his side.
My poor Sydney" she said softly;
my poor, poor boyi'
Miss Hilton was the next to speak.
Don't you think" she said, turning
to me, that there are too many of us
here? Perhaps Mrs. Thompson and the
new Mrs. Carstairs would like to re-
tire"
Mrs Thompson followed her daughter
out of the drawing-room, but her tongue
was not to be silenced. She felt bound
to explain the order of events; she had
seen the address on letter her sOn-in-
law had written; she had watched, and
had seen him go to a cOffee-house and
emerge in evening dress; she had fol-
lowed him to the Covent Garden, and
witnessed the purchase of the bouquet,
| and then she had gone home and shut
up the shop and had come down by
train, bringing her daughter with her.
She expressed her determination to
take Sydney back with her, but a
banknote astonished her into silence
and compliance with my views, which
were that she should leave at once
An empty cab happened to be passing
and received the party. But before
that Miss Hilton had a short colloquy
with Sydney's wife.
80" she said. in a harsh tone, you
are his wife, and that's his baby! Does
he ever beat YOU l wonder?'
The woman looked astonished.
"Oh, no, miss" she said; hes
good 'usband, and he does what he can
when he has the means. Only l don't
hold with him buying flowers when
his children haven't got enough to
eat"
Il don't believe he's good husband"
Miss Hilton replied. Hes a treacher-
Gus coward. But if he beats you, you
deserve it. 1t is you that keeps him
down in the gutter-you and your pre-
ciOuS parcel of ba bies."
The poor woman was frightened at the
young 1ady's violent tone, and shrank
away in a corner of the cab. But she
| was unwilling to leave without her
husband, and Mrs Thompson took the
same view of the position. They had
however, grasped the fact that Sydney
was with his mother, and they were per-
suaded to drive off. After the sound of
the wheels had died away Miss Hilton
with a haSty goodnight rushed off to
hc1 own room. When L got back to the
drawing room Sydney hadn't moved
from the sofa. The failure of the we'll
meant efforts at deception which he
had maintained so long was the crueIest
blow fortune had dealt him, and it
broke him down completely He was
sobbing like a child, and his mother,
sitting by his side. was trying to com
fort him III the same way that she had
soothed his infant troubles, with tender
caresses and only half-articulated
words. She waved me mute farewell
with her disengaged hand, and 1 left
the house.
1 never saw her again. Ny wife
called twice a the little cottage at Kew
but the mistress was not to be seen. A
third visit, after some lapse of time
| found the house untenanted and
empty, and inquiries in the neighbOr-
hood elected nothing.
But nearly two years later I was in
PRODUCED to a Mrs. Malcolm, a newly.
married lady. in whom / recognized the
former Miss Hilton. From her I learned
that Mrs. Carstairs had been dead for
some time
she never got over that night" the
| young lady said; "all her life clung
round those illusions as to her sons
career, and the revelation killed her.
She tried to put good face on the
matter; she went over to see the chill
dren once or twice, and when the baby
had measles the two grandmothers
made a great fuss about him. and be-
came almost friendly. But she could
never really reconcile herself to the
state of things; the little shop where they
sold lemonade and sweets and horrible
little papers, and Sydney. shabby, pen
niless, almost despairing-all this was
too much for her. She died. Pneumo-
MIA. the medical certificate called it."
Mrs. Malcolm was silent few mo-
ments, and then began again:
do you think you will ever see Sgd
ney again-Mr. Carstairs, 1 should
say?"
! expressed my doubts.
IF you do" Mrs. Malcolm said, give
him a message from me-" She hest