"Why don't you?"

I think I will; but on one condition-that I have full liberty to choose a house and furnish it just as I please." "Will Mr Riston agree to that?"

"It's the only condition I'll give him a chance of agreeing to. If he makes a slave of me, I am determined to have a palace for my prison."

"Whether your husband can afford a palace or not?" "Afford!" Mrs Riston's lip curled.

a woman utter that word! him afford it."

"I hate to hear

Afford, indeed! I'll make

The manner in which this was said sent a chill through Mrs Hartley. She shrunk back, involuntarily, a pace or two from her visitor.

"But come," resumed Mrs Riston, "let me see your chambers. There is nothing very wonderful here.”

Anna led the way up stairs. Not a single article in the chambers met the lady's approval.

"Cheap-cheap-cheap," she said, glancing around. "Ah me! when will women get sense? Everything as plain as a pikestaff. Have you no taste, Mrs Hartley? No love for the beautiful? Has elegance no charm for your eyes?"

"No one can love external beautiful forms more truly than I do," Anna replied, seriously. "But at the same time, I love moral beauties. When there is a just relation between the elegancies of life and the ability to possess these elegancies, the external beautiful forms are but the correspondents of moral beauties. But, if this correspondence does not exist, there can be no real enjoy

ment, no matter how beautiful the objects may be with which we are surrounded."

"All Greek to me, my dear! Give me the external beauties, and you may content yourself with the moralities, or whatever else you may choose to call them."

Anna made no further attempt to correct Mrs Riston's false notions. She saw that it was useless. She permitted her to find fault with, and scold about everything in the house, and when she finally took her departure, bade her a smiling good morning.

CHAPTER VI.A PRUDENT COURSE THE WISEST.

ONE day, some three or four weeks after Hartley had commenced housekeeping, a member of the firm of R, S― & Co. said to the senior partner,'

"I observe that James checked out, yesterday, three hundred pounds,"

"Three hundred pounds! Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Strange! what can he want with that sum of money?" "You know he is married."

"Yes. But what has that to do with three hundred pounds?"

"He has gone to housekeeping."

"That explains it. He mentioned to me his intention of doing so some weeks ago."

"But don't you think he is pretty free with money? A young man like him should not expect to dash out in very elegant style."

"True. But it is a question whether three hundred pounds will furnish a house very elegantly."

"Three hundred pounds will not go very far towards accomplishing that end, certainly. But it is more than probable that the major part of his furniture has been bought on a regular credit of six months, and that the three hundred pounds have been taken to pay for sundries not included in the bills for cabinet-ware and carpets."

"That may be. At any rate, it will be just as well for us to know all about this matter. Suppose you make some excuse to call in upon the young couple some evening this week, and see how they look."

"I will do so."

"Most sincerely do I hope that you will find all right. That a just regard to James's situation in life will be apparent in everything around them. Too often it is the case, that, so soon as a young man is taken into business, he imagines his fortune made, and forthwith begins to spend money as freely as if it were water. Of this weakness I never should have suspected Hartley. But there is no telling what influence his wife, if she have a love of show and extravagance, may have over him. If any game of this kind is to be played, we will have to throw him over the wall the first chance that offers."

"Better, I think, to remonstrate with him first. If incorrigible, he will have to be cut off."

"All this, however, is assuming that he is running wild already. Let us be certain of this first.

He has

always showed himself a prudent young man.' "So he has. And it is hardly fair to suspect him too

strongly upon the evidence we now have before us. Three hundred pounds may be for the whole expense of furnishing his house. If so, I do not think he has exceeded a prudent limit, when it is considered that his dividend on the profit ought to reach four or five hundred pounds per annum, as business now is."

As determined upon, one of the partners called in upon Hartley, and sat for half an hour with him, on the plea of a conference about some matter of business forgotten during the day.

"Did you see Hartley, last evening?" asked the other member of the firm, when they met next morning.

66 Yes; but not too costly."

"How were the parlours furnished?"

"With admirable taste, considering the outlay, which could not have been extravagant."

"I am really gratified. Then, the three hundred pounds must have been to meet the whole cost of their furniture?"

"Yes. If the rest of the house be in keeping with the parlours, which is no doubt the case, three hundred pounds is ample."

"I thought James had too much good sense to be led aside from prudence. Did you see his wife?"

"Yes."

"How did you like her?”

“Very much. I should call her a charming young creature."

"Is she handsome?"

"I think so."

“And a lady?"

"If she is not one, ladies are hard to find. Her face is very sweet; and, although she looks young, there is nothing childish about her."

"Who is she?"

"The daughter of old Mr Lee, in the Insurance Company."

"Ah! Wasn't there a good deal of talk about her refusing a very advantageous offer some time ago?" "Yes. She refused the hand of Gardiner."

"So she did. I remember now; and that I, in opposition to a good many lady friends, applauded her course. She is a sensible girl, I take it."

"So do I. Sensible for refusing Gardiner and accepting Hartley."

"Marriage usually makes or mars a young man's fortune," said the other. "I am happy to find that in our young friend's 's case, the former result is likely to occur. If he has a prudent, sensible wife, there need be no fear of him."

"That he has, I am ready to vouch," was confidently replied.

It was true, as Hartley's senior associates in business had supposed. Three hundred pounds paid all the bills that were made by Hartley in furnishing his house. Had