ls the heart
of their daughter against their remonstrances, nor can she be induced to
believe that, in thus taking upon herself to interpret or to correct the
intentions of her parents, she has done wrong.

Matters, however, are thus brought to a crisis. Her home becomes
unendurable to her, and she accepts the offer of marriage made by a
subordinate, and not very highly paid official, in one of the
Departments of the Civil Service. Her parents pronounce their blessing,
and rejoice in an event which promises them an immunity from many
annoyances.

The marriage duly takes place, but it is soon evident that the poor Lady
Bountiful will not allow her change of condition to make any difference
to the vigour and persistency of her charitable appeals. She continues
the old firm and the old business under a new name, and takes advantage
of her independence to enlarge immensely the field of her operations. No
bazaar can be organised without her and as a stall-holder she is
absolutely unrivalled. Missions, teas, treats, penny dinners, sea-side
excursions, the building of halls, the endowment of a bishopric, the
foundation of a flannel club, all depend upon her inexhaustible energy
in begging. Nor is she satisfied with public institutions. Private
applicants of all kinds gather about her. Destitute but undeserving
widows, orphans who have brought the grey hairs of their parents to the
grave, old soldiers and stranded foreigners batten upon her capacity for
taking advantage of her friends. For it must be well understood that the
restricted limits of her husband's means and his parsimony prevent her
from contributing anything herself to her innumerable schemes except a
lavish expenditure of pens and ink and paper with which to set forth her
appeals. Yet in this she is a true altruist. For she knows and tells
everybody how delightful and blessed it is to give, and accordingly in
the purest spirit of self-denial she permits her friends to dispense the
cash, whilst she herself is satisfied with the credit.

Like a mighty river, she receives the offerings of innumerable tributary
streams, which lose their identity in hers, and are swept away under her
name, to be finally merged in the great ocean of charitable effort. Who
does not know, that it was mainly owing to her indefatigable efforts,
that the new wing was added to the Disabled District Visitors' Refuge,
and who has not seen at least one of the many subscription lists to
which