vision with Mrs. Grimes's face; while Mrs. Grimes gave an occasional
glance of contempt towards the lady with whom she had had a "tiff."
Barling and Mason, observing all this, and enjoying it, were generally
the first to break the reigning silence; and this was usually done by
addressing some remark to Scragg, for no other reason, it seemed, than
to hear his growling reply. Usually, they succeeded in drawing him into
an argument, when they would goad him until he became angry; a species
of irritation in which they never suffered themselves to indulge. As
for Mr. Grimes, he was a man of few words. When spoken to, he would
reply; but he never made conversation. The only man who really behaved
like a gentleman was Mr. Burton; and the contrast seen in him naturally
prepossessed the family in his favour.

The first three months' experience in taking boarders was enough to
make the heart of Mrs. Darlington sick. All domestic comfort was gone.
From early morning until late at night, she toiled harder than any
servant in the house; and, with all, had a mind pressed down with care
and anxiety. Three times during this period she had been obliged to
change her cook, yet, for all, scarcely a day passed that she did not
set badly cooked food before her guests. Sometimes certain of the
boarders complained, and it generally happened that rudeness
accompanied the complaint. The sense of pain that attended this was
always most acute, for it was accompanied by deep humiliation and a
feeling of helplessness. Moreover, during these first three months, Mr.
and Mrs. Grimes had left the house without paying their board for five
weeks, thus throwing her into a loss of forty dollars.

At the beginning of this experiment, after completing the furniture of
her house, Mrs. Darlington had about three hundred dollars. When the
quarter's bill for rent was paid, she had only a hundred and fifty
dollars left. Thus, instead of making any thing by boarders, so far,
she had sunk a hundred and fifty dollars. This fact disheartened her
dreadfully. Then, the effect upon almost every member of her family had
been bad. Harry was no longer the thoughtful affectionate,
innocent-minded young man of former days. Mason and Barling had
introduced him into gay company, and, fascinated with a new and more
exciting kind of life, he was fast forming associations and acquiring
habits of a dangerous character. It was rare that he spent an evening
at home; and, instead