ngs, which had for some time been on the rack, were too
painfully excited to admit of this. He both looked and expressed, in
the tones of his voice, the trouble he felt.

Now, just at the moment Ellis said this, his wife was on the eve of
making the announcement, in rather a peremptory and dogmatic way, that
if he didn't give her the money to buy new parlour carpets, for which
she had been asking as much as a year past, she would go and order
them, and have the bill sent in to him. All day this subject had been
in her mind, and she had argued herself into the belief that her
husband was perfectly able, not only to afford her new carpets, but
also new parlour furniture; and that his unwillingness to do so arose
from a penurious spirit. Such being her state of mind, she was not
prepared to see in the words, voice, and look of her husband the real
truth that it was so important for her to know. From the beginning of
their married life, she had been disposed to spend freely, and he to
restrain her. In consequence, there was a kind of feud between them;
and now she regarded his words as coming from a desire on his part to
make her believe that he was poorer, in the matter of this world's
goods, than was really the case. Her reply, therefore, rather pettishly
uttered, was--

"Oh! I've heard enough about your affairs. No doubt you are on the
verge of bankruptcy. A man who indulges his family to the extent that
you do must expect shipwreck with every coming gale."

The change of countenance and exclamation with which this heartless
retort was made startled even Cara. Rising quickly to his feet, and
flinging upon his wife a look of reproach, Ellis left the room. A
moment or two afterwards, the street-door shut after him with a heavy
jar.

It was past midnight when he came home, and then he was stupid from
drink.

CHAPTER XI.

HOW different was it with Wilkinson, when he returned to his wife on
the same evening, in a most gloomy, troubled, and desponding state of
mind! A review of his affairs had brought little, if any thing, to
encourage him. This dead loss of two thousand dollars was more, he
felt, than he could bear. Ere this came upon him, there was often great
difficulty in making his payments. How should he be able to make them
now, with such an extra weight to carry? The thought completely
disheartened him.

"I, too, ought to retrench," said he, mentally, his thoughts recurring
to the interview which had