gaze. Another silence followed; to Anna a troubled

one.

66

"I don't know but that you are right," the husband said, with a frank smile. Eighty guineas is rather a heavy rent for two young people like us to pay."

"But it is not only the rent, dear," returned Anna, brightening up. A large and elegant house like that must be furnished in a liberal and corresponding style. And then there would have to be a free expenditure of money to maintain such an establishment. For my part I do not desire to come before the world, as a young wife, in so imposing a manner.”

Hartley returned, to this, an approving pressure of the hand he still held.

"Still," resumed Anna, "if your circumstances justify such a style of living, and you desire it, I, as your wife, will not object, for an instant.”

This remark helped to set Hartley right. The house in which he was partner was doing a heavy business, and there was a prospect of making large profits. If this expectation should be realised, his division would be a handsome one. But if not-that "if" had never bcfore presented itself so distinctly to his mind as at this moment. In thinking about commencing house-keeping, he had felt ambitious to raise Anna to as elevated a condition as possible. To place her alongside of the "best and proudest." All this was more from impulse and feeling than reason. His pride, not his good common sense, was influencing him. At the first blush, although he did not let it be seen, he felt disappointed at the want of cordial approval manifested by Anna, for whose sake,

more than his own, he had fixed upon the handsome house in Walnut Street. But the view she took of the subject, so soon as it came directly in front of the eye of his mind, he saw to be the true one.

"That may be a question," he said, in reply to her last remark, speaking thoughtfully. "It is true that everything looks bright just now; but it is also true that clouds often come suddenly over the brightest skies. It was for your sake that I wished to rent that house. I felt a pride in the thought of making you its mistress."

"I shall be much happier as the mistress of a less imposing residence. Let us begin the world without ostentation. As we are about to commence housekeeping from a sense of right, let us not consult appearances, but be governed throughout by the right ends that prompted our first decision. For my part, a house at half, or even less than half the rent of the one in Walnut Street, will meet all my expectations. To manage its internal arrangements will cost me less care and labour, and you less money; and it is needless to be too free with either in the beginning of life."

"Well and wisely said, Anna. I fully agree with you. I yielded to a weakness when I set my heart upon the house I have mentioned. I will look further, and see if I cannot find as many comforts as that presented, in a more compact and less costly form."

"I am sure you will. And I am sure we will be happier than if we had made our debut in a much more imposing way."

And thus the matter was settled. The reader cannot but say wisely, when he reflects that James Hartley was

without capital himself, and only a junior partner in a mercantile house, which, although it was doing a heavy business, might not at the end of the year, from causes against which ordinary foresight could not guard, divide anything more than very moderate profits. A woman with different views and feelings would never have thought of objecting to become the mistress of an establishment like the one offered by Hartley; but Anna had no weak pride or love of show to gratify. She looked only to what was right; or, at least, ever sought to do so.

CHAPTER II.-—A THOUGHTLESS WOMAN OF THE WORLD FLORENCE ARMITAGE.

"You are going to housekeeping, I hear," said Mrs Riston, a young friend, about a week after the conversation mentioned in the preceding chapter had taken place. Mrs Riston had called in to see Anna, whose acquaintance she had recently made.

"Yes," was the smiling reply.

"You'll be sorry for it?" "Why so ?"

"Oh, it will bring you into a world of trouble. My husband has been teasing me to death about going to housekeeping ever since we have been married. But I won't hear of it."

"That is strange. I thought every married woman would like to be in her own house."

"Oh dear! no.

I know dozens who would throw

houses and all into the river if they could. It makes a slave of a woman, Mrs Hartley. She is tied down to a certain routine of duties of the most irksome nature; and this, day in and day out, the year round. And what is worse, instead of her duties growing lighter, they are constantly increasing."

"But all these duties it is right for her to perform, is it not?"

"Not if she can get out of them, or delegate their performance to some one else, as I do. In a boardinghouse you pay for having all this trouble taken off your hands. And I think our husbands may just as well pay for it as not. I have no notion of being a slave. I did not marry to become a mere drudge, so to speak, to any one."

"It is a question in my mind, Mrs Riston, whether it is right to delegate the duties we are competent to perform," was Anna's mild reply.

"All nonsense! Get out of doing everything you can. At the best you will have your hands full.”

"No doubt I shall find plenty to do; but my labour will be lightened by the consciousness that it is done in order to make others happy."

"Others happy! Oh, la! Who 'll try to make you happy, I wonder? "

"My husband, I hope," said Anna, gravely.

"Humph! You will see.

Husbands aint the most

unselfish creatures in the world. I believe they are not proverbial for sacrificing much to the happiness of their wives."

Anna felt shocked at this. But her young friend did

not notice the effect her words produced, and continued

to run on.

"You had better take my advice, and tell your husband, as I have told mine over and over again, that you are not going to become a domestic slave for him or anybody else.”

Anna shook her head.

"Well! Just as you like. If you will go to housekeeping, so be it. It won't hurt me. Ilave you picked out your house yet?"

"We havn't exactly decided. Mr Hartley thought, at first, of taking a very beautiful house in Walnut Street, at a rent of eighty guineas."

"But very soon thought better of it, I have no doubt." “If I had not objected, he would have taken it.” "You objected? Why so?"

“I thought it would involve more expense and style than two young folks like us ought to indulge in.”

"Upon my word! But you are a novice in the world! This is the first instance that has occurred among all my acquaintances of such a thing as a wife objecting to style and expense. Precious few of us get the chance, I can assure you! And you'll soon wish, or I am mistaken, that you had taken your good man at his word.”

Anna felt a glow of indignation at this reflection upon her husband. But she forced herself to appear unmoved, merely replying,

"No; I shall never wish that. I shall never have any want, in his power to supply, that will not be readily met."

66 So you may think now. But take my advice, and