Year: 1877

"Oh yes, uncle" replied lightly; II
know have. Henry is to make me per-
fectly happy"


"What has he got" was the next pleas
ant observation that fell from Uncle Joce.
lyn's lips.


"Got uncle. don't know what you
mean," answered, growing rosy red at
the unexpected inquiry.


"What are his means? What does he
intend to settle upon you?"


"He has his business" promptly inter-
rupted my mother.


| "And he is SO clever, be is sure to get
on" l added, in my eagerness to assure
Uncle Jocelyn it was all right as regarded
my future.


"That will depend a great deal upon
you. kate.n he replied gravely "The
wife has mere to do in making or marring
her husband than is generally suspected
A careless, extravagant, bad wife is the
greatest curse man can have; good
one is the greatest blessing"


"Yes, uncle oh yes, assented, glsnc-
| ing toward my mother, who was smiling
somewhat scornfully, | fancied, at his
opinions.


Take care of his pence and his pounds
will take care of themselves" continued
uncle; land beware of ever getting into
debt, Kate; it's the easiest thing 10 get
into. the hardest thing to get out Of. Take
my advice; live well within your means
and always pay ready money"


"Yes uncle; oh yes. responded. II
am sure you are right; and Henry is so
prudent, he is certainly to have the same
| ideas"


swell, keep them before your own
| mind. Don't despise an old mans coun-
SELL buy nothing that you can't afford,
and always pay ready money.
remember that conversation so well
with Uncle Jocelyn. some few weeks be-
fore my marriage; at the time it did not
strike me so forcibly as afterwards, for
my mind was too filled with other and TO
me more interesting matters.


| Uncle Jocelyn was an old man, and the
amount of his fortune had always been
wrapped in some obscurity; but he lived
comfortably, and possessed a small prop
erty in Berkshire. upon which he had built
,, pretty and substantial house, where
had often spent many happy days. He
had always shown special affection for
me, no doubt owing to the fact of my be-
ing the only daughter of his only brother,
| who had died when | was quite an infant
leaving me TO the sole guardianship OF
my mother. Unfortunately for me, there
| had never been any love lost between the
latter and Uncle Jocelyn; the GOODNESS
had rather increased than diminished as
years went by: and when invitations were
sent for us to visit Covington. which was
| the name of my uncle's place, my mother
invariably refused for herself, and only
with great persuasion permitted me to
go.


How enjoyed these visits How sweet
were the hay fields and clover.scented
meadows How cool and fresh the mar
ble-slabbed dairy. with its rows of brim-
ming basins OF frothy golden cream
How fragrant was the old-fashioned gar
den, with its long grassy walks and great
big dewy roses, and the old cedar tree SO
shady, under which Uncle Jocelyn would
sit OF an afternoon smoking, listening ap-
parenty quite satisfied with my childish
conversation ! The sun always seemed
to be shining In those days. | can recall
no gloom then, and things all wore a
charm. which / did not know lay chiefly
in the fact of my own youth aud utter iy.
norance OF life and its cares.


| However, not to diGress, | had not seen
so much of Uncle Jocely since had grown
up, partly on account of my mo.her's una
bated dislike to him, partly because of the
| existence of new interest in life. | had
met Henry Arden. He was six-and-twen-
| ty, five years my senior. His position in
| life was fairly good one, he having a
| small interest in a first-cass city business
which gave him over 800 year his char
acter was irreproachable and when say
he was general favorite wherever he
went, it may be surmsed that in my opin-
ion he was, if not quite perfect, very
closely akin to it. For myself was pas
sable--perhaps little more than that
but was penniless until my mother died;
so it was very astonishing thing to me
! how so desirable partt had fallen to my
lot. He was certain to get on-the senior
partners had been known to say so them
selves. Consequently our start in life
promised to be a fair one. And to be brief
| we were married. Our honeymoon was
| OF comparatively short duration, but it
was long enough to cost Henry as al
terward learned. something like 40
pounds, which was a considerable cut out
Of 800 year; for 1t had not occurred to
him to lay by any sparv cash for these I'M
avoidable expenses. | had felt rather un-
easy at the expenditure, but it was too
early days to venture upon any remon-
STRANGE had been so inclined; we were
sure to live very quietly when we once
settled down, and could easily then make
up for any little extravaganza oil which at
the outset we had been guilty. We were
to live in London, and we were fully
agreed on one point; lodgings were not
to be thought of; we must have house
of our own. The prospect of possessing
one jointly with Henry was very pleasant
to me, pictured an endless fuad of amuse-
ment and occupation too. in furnishing
and adorning it but the mansion had still
to be selected; so our first business was
| to find one to suit US. the next to get into
| 1t as soon as possible.


We must have spent small fortune in
cab-hire before we finally found just what
we wanted; even then. though the situa-
tion was good and the domicile desirable,
the rent frightened us; IL was eighty
guineas year uniurnished; but we should
be comfortable in l.. The smallness of
its size. and it was extremely small, was
rather an advantage than otherwise, rs il
| would require SO little furniture. and two