Year: 1866

sloerlng the position in life we were
now in. To my great surprise, my
wife not only made no objection, but
positively told me that she wished to
speak to me On that subject, but did
not like to, as she was afraid | should
think her lazy.


After had been a few months in
my new position, my wife one night
SAID to me, "Our landlord called to-
day, and | paid him for the quarter.
he talks about increasing our rent
lie says you have had the house too
cheap for some time past, considering
the rate of rents in the neighbor-
hood"


II shall not pay any more than [
do now" l replied, "and it is a shame.
full thing for him to want it, consider
ing how long | have been his tenant.
| would rather look for another house
that pay shilling more than | do at
present"


"Well, my DEAR" said my wife, m
think you are right. Besides, there is
another thing strikes me. We are
living here with common weavers, and
mixing with them, which is not quite
right considering che difference in our
position. And the girls are growing
up and they ought to do something
better than marry weavers."
| was struck with the justice of my
wife's remark and requested her to
look out for another lodging or house,
which she promised to do.


The next day when | returned home
| found my wife had busted herself
in finding a new dwelling for u.s.
She had set her mind on the one in
the HoXton road. 1t was certainly
much larger than our own and much
more expensive. We were paying
twenty-five pounds year, and this
was forty without taxes. 1t was,
however, far more respectable, my
wife said, than the one we were then
living in, in Fleur de Lis street, and
she had hit upon plan 10 make it
less expensive than it appeared at first
sight. 1t was to let off the first floor
to some single gentleman who was en-
ployed in the city in the day time, so
that in fact we should have all the
credit for the appearance of the house
and not be at any higher rent than we
then were.


complimented my wife on her ex-
cellent arrangements; the house was
taken, and in a few weeks we were
in possession.


But although the rent of the house
would not be any more than our old
one when we had let off the first floor,
and the appearance we should create
would be far greater, there was the
expense of furnishing to be taken in
to consideration. This somewhat
crippled MS for. the moment h,,+
wife said in short time she would
make up the amount by the rent of the
rooms.


We found without difficulty tenant
for our first floor, q young man, clerk
in an insurance office. He was quiet
orderly fellow enough, paying regular
ly his rent every week. l now pro-
posed that we should begin economis-
ing the money we had paid for the
extra furniture, but my wife objected
to do so till later, as she had other ex-
penses to meet in the moment. | in
quired what they might be.


"Well, my DEAR" said my wife, "it
is utterly impossible that the girls and
[ can dress now in the manner we did
in Flour de Lis street, when we were
living among weavers. The people
about here are very genteel, and l
don't like to dress different from our
neighbors. We are in a good position,
and we ought to make better appear
ance."


I foolishly admitted her arguments,
and we not only put off raising money
for the furniture, but we got somewhat
into debt, for the purchase of new
clothes as we'll. When my wife had
obtained the new dresses for herself
and children, they certainly looked
very well in them, and | was, | admit,
very proud of my family; but unfor-
tunately, after the purchase had been
made, we did not save the money we
had expended on the furniture. We
continued to live On quietly enough
but we spent, am sorry to say, some
what more than our income, though
not to such an extent as to cause any
uneasiness. |, however, was obliged
to apply to a loan Office for assistance
which | had no difficulty in obtaining
and as | contrived to pay up the in


terest the affair gave me very little


trouble.


| have told you the commencement
of our misfortunes, | will now tell yor
how our gentility ended. My wife'E


love of dress increased, and with i
our expenditures, but our income re
mained the same. At last my wife
confided to me that the clerk on thu


first floor had begun to show grea
attention to Charlotte, our eldest girl
, and she had every reason to believe i


would end in an offer. His family
: she said, were very respectable, ant
: it would be an excellent match; ant
: she considered the best thing we coult
: do would be to get acquainted wit
2 them. l told her we must be careful
: what we did. l had no objection t
7 make the acquaintance of the youn
fellows family, but at the same tim
d we must not increase our expenditure


as l had great difficulty in keeping u
0 the payment of the interest of tn
money had borrowed from the loa
: office.


: "My DEAR" said my wife, "wha
t nonsense you talk. How is it poss
v BILE we can mix with people in a be
l. ter position in life than ourselves, an