Year: 1877




eyes; but we were both miserable debt
stared Us in the face whichever way we
turned and how long we could keep our
creditors at bay was beginning To be a
source Of considerable anxiety TO us.


Henry's position in business depended
solely upon the pleasure OF the senior
partners. There were curious condi-
tions in their agreement with him and
if they heard OF his embarrassments, no
doubt il would injure him greatly, and
might make them consider themselves
justified in perhaps something far more
serious than a remonstrance. o that We
had acted differently! that the past could
be lived. over again with eur present ex-
perienCe


Once or twice thought of contiding
our woes to my mother but ] dared not I;
intuitively knew that although in his
prosperity Henry was great favorite
with her, she would regard him very diff
ierently If misfortune came and felt
could bear anything rather than hear
him blamed, especially as in my inmost
heart | knew | was equally If not actu-
ally more to blame than he was for now
see clearly how true it was what Uncle
.Iocelyn said, that wife can make or
mar her husband. II / had quietly set
10 work at the outset, and advised him
Alright, all would have been WE'LL but
now every day brought some hateful dun
or threatening letter. A ring at the bell
would cause me 10 start and the sound
of mans voice in the hall parleyiDg
with Sophy was enough to make me
tremble all over.


The crash could not be STAYED off for
long criss must shortly come. So said
Henry one lovely June evening. when
We were sitting disconsolately discuss
ing all manner of yild impossible
schemes. II was an exquisite night; the
heat OF the day was over; not breath
OF wind stirred the delicate blossoms Of
the plants which adorned our balcony,
and the moon was rising in all her liquid
loveliness. casting cool light over the
scene. Everything looked calm and
quiet and peaceful; the pulse Of the
great city were hushed there was moth
ing to break the silence, except poor
Henry's hopeless tones repeating, a
crisis can't be far of, Kate. What are
we 10 10, 1 KNOW NOT


We fancied the amazement of our
friends-the nine days wonder our mis-
fortune would cause, little dreaming
that our ending had long been conf.
IDENTIFY predicted by them, and that our
hospitality had been roundly censured
and condemned by the very partakers of
it. Still less did we imagine that Mr..
Trevor, so far from being favorably i'm
pressed with our surroundings, had gone
exact amount OF Henry's income--
shocked and sorry 10 see that Henry Ar.
den had married aNvife with so little
sense and judgment; and no second
glance from his keen eyes was wanting
10 prove to him how terribly beyond Il
we were living. His observations had
satisfied him that serious cmbarra,s ment
must ensue; consequently he and his
partners had bestowed the desired post
and increased emolrments upon one who,
if he needed it less than we did, certainly
understood its value better.


So no one but my mother and Uncle
Jocclyn would be, surprised, though we
imagined so differently, as we sat on and
on in our pretty drawing-room talking
over the weary subject and pondering
what we could possibly do. We should
have to sell off everything, to leave Am.
berly Villas, and TO begin life over again.
Henry's prospects, of course, would be
seriously damaged, and we could never
hope to thoroughly regain the position
eur own folly had deprived us Of It
was not pleasant to think of; but there
could be no shuflling out of the question
now it must be met and answered i'm
mediately: What were we TO do? Moth.
ing very definite could be arrived at I;
but one thing was quite clear--the
change could not I've far off


! can never describe the anxiety OF
the DAYS that followed, nor can the sgony
it cost me to write and tell my mother
that we were hopelessly, desperately in.
volved, and that our diIiiculities were 50
great it was impossible Tor us ever To
surmount them. What would -he ray
What would everybody say Worst OF
all, what would Uncle Jocelyn say? For
the worst had como to the worst--our
house was our own no longer; a man
strange aud TO me most terrible wa.
comfortably making himself at home in
our kitchen--in other words, bad taken
possession How could Henry show bi.
face at the Office How could venture
out again


shall never forget the two days that
followed after | wrote and told my moth.
er on the third, when was almost stu
pelied with the magnitude of our mis-
fortunes. and during Henry's (pooI
Henry certainly had the hardest part {,
bear, for he could not stay quietly a,
honey absence had shut myself mp in my
room, some one knocked at the door, and
in answer TO my very suhdued Come
in," it was gently opened, and not Sophy
as ] had anticipate 1, appeared, but the
familiar friendly face ot Uncle Jocelyn


"My poor child :" he exclaimed.
"my little Kate .'-and he folded me il
his arms with all the tenderness Of 4
father. 81 only heard of it all thi'
morning. he said, land ! started of
Immediately. Cheer up, Kate; dom
grieve yeur old uncle by tears. Thing
can't be past mending; and ] wouldn't
be here il hadn't come to help you"


And how he helped us Without ;
word OF anger or reproach he listened t
Henry's and my story we told it faith
mlly, not sparing or attempting 10 jus
tiiy ourselves for our culpable conduct
and when all was confessed he simpl,
wrote check for the Iull amount of ou
liabilities. The total was serious one
but we were saved not only from the dis
grace but from Henry's dismissal from ;
partnership which afterwards was thu
means of our possessing fortune far be