d him.

He was meditating over these things then that morning, when Widow
Lenehan, of whom, mention has already been made, a religious woman,
and notwithstanding her name, a member of the congregation to which he
belonged, entered his office, accompanied by her brother.

"Ah, Mrs. Lenehan, how do you do? and my friend Palmer, I hope I see you
well!"

"Pretty well, Mr. M'Slime; as well as these hard times will let us."

"Hard times! true, my friend, hard times they are indeed; very
hard--yea, even as a crushing rock to those who are severely tried.
But affliction is good, my friends, and if it be for our soul's health,
then, indeed, it is good to be afflicted."

To this, neither Mrs. Lenehan nor her brother made any reply; and
Solomon was left to console himself with a holy groan or two--given in
that peculiar style which hypocrisy only can accomplish, but which
is altogether out of the sphere, and beyond the capacity of true
repentance.

"Mr. M'Slime," said Palmer, "my sister has at present"--which was
the fact--although Solomon did not believe it--"a more advantageous
opportunity of investing those eight hundred pounds which the poor
woman has scraped together, and she wishes to draw them out of the funds
without any delay; she wishes to sell out."

"Of course," said Solomon; "and, indeed, Mrs. Lenehan, I am delighted to
hear it. How are you about to have the money invested, ma'am? Only give
me the names of the parties, with the nature of the securities, and I
shall have the whole matter safely managed with as little delay as may
be."

"She wishes first, Mr. M'Slime, to get the money into her own
hands," said Palmer, "and, I believe, I may as well state that, as a
conscientious Christian woman, she does not feel justified in availing
herself any longer of your professional services, Mr. M'Slime."

"Indeed," observed the widow, "I don't see how I could, Mr. M'Slime; I
trust I am a Christian woman, as he says, and for a Christian woman to
continue you, as her attorney, would be, I fear, to encourage hypocrisy
and sin; and I feel that it would not be permitted to me to do so,
unless I abuse my privileges."

"Heigho," thought Solomon, "here am I punished, as it were, in my own
exact phraseology; verily, the measure is returning unto me."

"Well, Mrs. Lenehan, this is part of my individual dispensation--may
it be precious to me! There is a mystery in many things, and there is a
mystery in this; a mystery which