ifty-five pounds a year,--thereby behaving as he imagined with
extensive liberality,--it is unnecessary here to inquire. Such was
the case, and the Rev. Adolphus Green, with Mrs. A. Green and the
four children, managed to live with some difficulty on the produce
of the garden and the allotted stipend; but could not probably have
lived at all in that position had not Mrs. Adolphus Green been
blessed with some small fortune.

It had so happened that Mrs. Adolphus Green had been instrumental in
imparting some knowledge of singing to two of the Miss Masons, and
had continued her instructions over the last three years. This had
not been done in any preconcerted way, but the lessons had grown by
chance. Mrs. Mason the while had looked on with a satisfied eye at an
arrangement that was so much to her taste.

"There are no regular lessons you know," she had said to her husband,
when he suggested that some reward for so much work would be
expedient. "Mrs. Green finds it convenient to have the use of my
drawing-room, and would never see an instrument from year's end to
year's end if she were not allowed to come up here. Depend upon it
she gets a great deal more than she gives."

But after two years of tuition Mr. Mason had spoken a second time.
"My dear," he said, "I cannot allow the girls to accept so great a
favour from Mrs. Green without making her some compensation."

"I don't see that it is at all necessary," Mrs. Mason had
answered; "but if you think so, we could send her down a hamper of
apples,--that is, a basketful." Now it happened that apples were very
plentiful that year, and that the curate and his wife were blessed
with as many as they could judiciously consume.

"Apples! nonsense!" said Mr. Mason.

"If you mean money, my dear, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't so offend a
lady for all the world."

"You could buy them something handsome, in the way of furniture. That
little room of theirs that they call the drawing-room has nothing in
it at all. Get Jones from Leeds to send them some things that will
do for them." And hence, after many inner misgivings, had arisen
that purchase of a drawing-room set from Mr. Kantwise,--that set of
metallic "Louey Catorse furniture," containing three tables, eight
chairs, &c., &c., as to which it may be remembered that Mrs. Mason
made such an undoubted bargain, getting them for less than cost
price. That they had been "strained," as Mr. Kantwise himself
admitted in discoursing on