ny
days hang heavy upon his hands.

"Why don't you read?"

"I do read all the newspapers--that is, two or three that I take,"
replied Parker; "but there is not enough in them for a whole day."

"There are plenty of books."

"Books! I never read books; I can't get interested in them. They are
too long; it would take me a week to get through even a moderate-sized
book. I would rather go back to the shop again. I understand making a
hat, but as to books, I never did fancy them much."

Parker lounged for a couple of hours in the shop of his friend, and
then turned his face homeward, feeling very uncomfortable.

The dark day was sinking into darker night when he entered his house.
There was no light in the passage nor any in the parlour. As he groped
his way in, he struck against a chair that was out of place, and hurt
himself. The momentary pain caused the fretfulness he felt, on finding
all dark within, to rise into anger. He went back to the kitchen,
grumbling sadly, and there gave the cook a sound rating for not having
lit the lamps earlier. Mrs. Parker heard all, but said nothing. The
cook brought a lamp into the parlour and placed it upon the table with
an indignant air; she then flirted off up-stairs, and complained to
Mrs. Parker that she had never been treated so badly in her life by any
person, and notified her that she should leave the moment her week was
up; that, anyhow, she had nothing to do with the lamps--lighting them
was the chambermaid's work.

It so happened that Mrs. Parker had sent the chambermaid out, and this
the cook knew very well; but cook was in a bad humour about something,
and didn't choose to do any thing not in the original contract. She was
a good domestic, and had lived with Mrs. Parker for some years. She had
her humours, as every one has, but these had always been borne with by
her mistress. Too many fretting incidents had just occurred, however,
and Mrs. Parker's mind was not so evenly balanced as usual. Nancy's
words and manner provoked her too far, and she replied, "Very well; go
in welcome."

Here was a state of affairs tending in no degree to increase the
happiness of the retired tradesman. His wife met him at the
supper-table with knit brows and tightly compressed lips. Not a word
passed during the meal.

After supper, Mr. Parker looked around him for some means of passing
the time. The newspapers were read through; it still rained heavily
without; he could not ask his wi