er eleven villas in the same row. For the twelve little iron gates of Belitha Villas had each its own peculiar squeak and clang, a fact that added

cloth spread half across the table. An unsympathetic slab of red topside of beef glared aggressively from a dish in which the gravy had set to an unhealthy-looking fat-ringed jelly. This, flanked by the remains of a cottage loaf and a glass of

letter propped up against the brass lamp and put there evidently so that it should attract his early attention. He took it up and read it through, then with a few uncomplimentary remarks h

ow of the window recess roused itself and sat upright. It was clad in

late,

were up-stairs or had run along to have a chat with

what you called uncle, and I am not in the habit of running along

e there when I read his letter or I wouldn'

. I'm astonished, but it can't be mended; they say m

pardon, Ch

at I'm not angry, only sorry. When I see a man come home at this hour and turn up his nose at a g

do that we can't afford to upset the old chap, but

ially

otte, we'll have to draw in our horns a bit. I've got the sack,

orget you're s

xactly how I feel. I'll get even with 'e

e centre of the table and had settled herself in the one saddle-bag chair. Her husban

dear," he said,

est thing in the world to get employment at your age. Look at Mr. Hardy at N

up a prote

me do a bit of hard thinking. Forty's not old, Charlotte, it's young. I feel

ved her hands

r head, eh? How about uncle? he's a self-made man and thinks everyone should succeed. When he hear

d, and getting n

were doing; in fact, I'm afraid I've exaggerated, and now, here he is comi

in the heart of which still glowed a dull red. His lips were parted and his eyes were dilated. Mrs. Po

med of yourself-the state you

he contemplation of the fire and

there. Then he cleared his throat and told his wife about his adventure of the

restaurants has to do with me," she said sharply,

his visits are, only business trips, and at the most he'll stay two nights

e w

ass are inferior to us men, but for sheer unadulterated st

-you da

inson and Hardy is enough, madam. The men you have thrown in my face are worms, Charlott

eated himself. "I said that uncle is coming to us on Monday, and

t to her at least the proceedings had lost all interest. Something, how

harlotte, and will suit uncle down to the ground. He'l

ad? Bushey-we don'

smiled sar

oing to-for two nights only, as the play-bills say. We are going to borrow Adderb

was fully

vey, I'll

that rattled the crockery and even infused a little flicke

re now, and new brooms sweep clean, you know.

it was absurdly simple; of risk there was none. A kind fate had shown them a simple way out of their difficulties, and it would be criminal to ignore it. He knew Uncle Jasper far too well to think of admitting to him that he was a failure in the world. He knew, too, that t

telling him how glad Charlotte and himself were to hear that he proposed paying them a visit. He said that the firm for which he had the honour to work had at last awakened to the value of his services, and that a substan

box at the corner of the terrace he told himself that his new life promised infinitely