ed, Mr. Vanderley," she said, with the pretty
dimpled smile which had so frequently shown itself in the course of our
conversation, "that you have given me this position. I am sure that I
shall like it, and I shall try very hard to make my work satisfactory. I
shall come up every morning in the nine o'clock train, as you desire;
and I shall be obliged to bring my husband with me, but this will not in
any way interfere with my work. He is suffering from a malarial disease,
and is subject to periods of faintness, so that it would be impossible
for me to leave him for the whole morning; but he can sit outside
anywhere, under a tree, or perhaps somewhere in the house if it happens
to rain. He is perfectly contented if he has a comfortable place to sit
in. He is not able to attend to any business, and as I now have to be
the bread-winner I am most deeply grateful for this work which you have
given me. I am sure that the little trip in and out of town will do him
good, and as I shall buy commutation tickets it will not be expensive.
He came with me this morning, and if you will excuse me I will bring him
in and introduce him." And without waiting for any remark from me she
left the room, and shortly returned with the malarial subject. He was an
extremely mild-mannered man, of light weight and sedate aspect. The few
words in which he indicated his gratification with his wife's engagement
suggested to me the need of sulphate of quinia.

This revelation of a malarial adjunct to the labors of myself and this
very agreeable lady greatly surprised me, and, I must admit, threw me
back from that condition of satisfaction in which I had found myself
upon engaging her; and yet I could think of no reasonable objection to
make. The lady had promised that he should not be in the way, and the
most I could say, even to myself, was that the arrangement did not
appear attractive to me. Of course, with no reason but a chaotic
distaste, I would not recede from my agreement, and deprive this worthy
lady of the opportunity of supporting herself and her husband; and the
two departed, to return on the following day prepared to labor and to
wait.

I inquired of Walkirk, I fear with some petulance, if he had known of
the incumbrance attached to this candidate; and he replied that she had
informed him that she was married, but he had no idea she intended to
bring her husband with her. He was very sorry that this was necessary,
but in his judgment the