to be
a biped of the same species.

There was an hotel in Rainharbour called the "United Kingdom," where
Jim spent much of his time playing billiards, drinking beer, and
smoking pipes. He had to coax money out of his mother continually for
these pursuits.

"It's the kind of thing a fellow must do, you know, mamma," he said.
"You can't expect him to stick at home like a girl. He must see life,
or he'll be a muff instead of a man of the world. How shall I get on
at Fairholm, when I come in for the property, if I'm not up to
things?"

This was said at breakfast one morning, and Mrs. Caldwell, sitting
opposite the window, raised her worn face and looked up at the sky,
considering what else there was that she could do without.

"Do you learn how to manage estates at the 'United Kingdom'?" Beth put
in innocently.

"Now, look here, Beth, just you shut up," said Jim. "You're always
putting your oar in, and its deuced impertinent of a child like you,
when I'm talking to my mother. _She_ knows what I'm talking about, and
you don't; but you'll be teaching her next, I expect. You're far too
cheeky."

"I only wanted to know," Beth protested.

"That will do," said Mrs. Caldwell impatiently. She was put out by
Jim's demand for money, which she had not got to spare, and found it a
relief to expend some of her irritation on Beth. "Jim is quite right,
and I won't have you hanging about always, listening to things you
don't understand, and rudely interrupting."

"I thought we were at breakfast," Beth exclaimed, furious at being
unjustly accused of hanging about.

"Be good enough to leave the table," said Mrs. Caldwell; "and you
shall have nothing but bread and water for the rest of the day."

"It will be a dinner of herbs with contentment, then, if I have it
alone," said Beth; for which impertinence she was condemned to be
present at every meal.

Having extracted the money from his mother, Jim went off to the
"United Kingdom," and came back in the afternoon, somewhat the worse
for beer; but Mrs. Caldwell did not perceive it. He complained of the
poor dinner, the cooking, and Beth's shabby appearance.

"How can you go out with me like that?" he said. "Why can't you dress
properly? Look at my things! I'm decent."

"So should I be," said Beth, without malice, her eyes shining with
mortification. "So should I be if anybody bought me decent clothes."

She did not think it unfair, however, that she should go shabby so
that J