第12章

"Noonecaneverthinkaladyextravagantforbuyingablacksilk；

it"ssuchausefuldress；lastsforever——almost。"

Days，weeks，andmonthsrolledon，andwiththemanever-rollingtideofflower-shows，dinners，at-homes，balls，operas，lawn-

parties，concerts，andtheatres。

Strangethatinonehousethereshouldbetwopeoplewholovedeachother，yettheirlivesransofarapart，exceptwhiletheywereasleep:themanallindustry，self-denial，patience；thewomanallfrivolity，self-indulgence，andamusement；bothchainedtoanoar，only——oneinaworkingboat，theotherinapaintedgalley。

Thewomangottiredfirst，andhercharmingcolorwanedsadly。Shecametohimformedicinetosetherup。"Ifeelsolanguid。"

"No，no，"saidhe；"nomedicinecandotheworkofwholesomefoodandrationalrepose。Youlacktheseasonofallnatures，sleep。

Dineathomethreedaysrunning，andgotobedatten。"

Onthisthedoctor"swifewenttoachemistforadvice。Hegaveherapinkstimulant；and，asstimulantshavetwoeffects，viz。，firsttostimulate，andthentoweaken，thisdidhernolastinggood。Dr。StainescursedtheLondonseason，andthreatenedtomigratetoLiverpool。

Buttherewasworsebehind。

Returningonedaytohisdressing-room，justafterRosahadcomedown-stairs，hecaughtsightofaredstaininawash-hand-basin。

Heexaminedit；itwasarterialblood。

Hewenttoherdirectly，andexpressedhisanxiety。

"Oh，itisnothing，"saidshe。

"Nothing!Pray，howoftenhasitoccurred?"

"Onceortwice。Imusttakeyouradvice，andbequiet，thatisall。"

Stainesexaminedthehousemaid；sheliedinstinctivelyatfirst，seeinghewasalarmed；but，beingurgedtotellthetruth，saidshehadseenitrepeatedly，andhadtoldthecook。

Hewentdown-stairsagain，andsatdown，lookingwretched。

"Oh，dear!"saidRosa。"Whatisthematternow?"

"Rosa，"saidhe，verygravely，"therearetwopeopleawomanismadtodeceive——herhusbandandherphysician。Youhavedeceivedboth。"

CHAPTERX。

IsuspectDr。Stainesmerelymeanttosaythatshehadconcealedfromhimanalarmingsymptomforseveralweeks；butsheansweredinahurry，toexcuseherself，andletthecatoutofthebag——excusemyvulgarity。

"ItwasallthatMrs。Vivian"sfault。Shelaughedatmesofornotwearingthem；andshehasawaistyoucanspan——thewretch!"

"Oh，then，youhavebeenwearingstaysclandestinely?"

"Why，youknowIhave。Oh，whatastupid!Ihaveletitallout。"

"Howcouldyoudoit，whenyouknew，byexperience，itisyourdeath?"

"Butitlookssobeautiful，atinywaist。"

"ItlooksashideousasaChinesefoot，and，totheeyeofscience，farmoredisgusting；itisthecauseofsomanyunlovelydiseases。"

"Justtellmeonething；haveyoulookedatMrs。Vivian?"

"Minutely。Ilookatallyourfriendswithgreatanxiety，knowingnoanimalmoredangerousthanafool。Vivian——askinnywoman，withaprettyface，lovelyhair，goodteeth，dyingeyes"——

"Yes，lovely!"

"Asureproofofadisorderedstomach——andawaistpinchedinsounnaturally，thatIsaidtomyself，"Whereonearthdoesthisidiotputherliver?"Didyoueverreadofthefrogwhoburst，tryingtoswelltoanox?Well，hereistherivalryreversed；Mrs。Vivianisabagofbonesinaballoon；shecanmachineherselfintoawasp；

butafineyoungwomanlikeyou，withfleshandmuscle，mustkillyourselfthreeorfourtimesbeforeyoucanmakeyourbodyasmeagre，hideous，angular，andunnaturalasVivian"s。Butallyouladiesaremono-maniacs；onemightaswelltalksensetoagorilla。

Itbroughtyoutotheedgeofthegrave。Isavedyou。Yetyoucouldgoand——Godgrantmepatience。SoIsupposetheseunprincipledwomenlentyoutheirstaystodeceiveyourhusband?"

"No。Buttheylaughedatmesothat——Oh，Christie，I"mawretch；

IkeptapairattheLucases，andapairatMadameCie"s，andIputthemonnowandthen。"

"Butyouneverappearedhereinthem?"

"What，beforemytyrant?Ohno，Idarednot。"

"Soyoutookthemoffbeforeyoucamehome?"

Rosahungherhead，andsaid"Yes"inareluctantwhisper。

"Youspentyourdaylightdressing。Youdressedtogoout；dressedagaininstays；dressedagainwithoutthem；andalltodeceiveyourhusband，andkillyourself，atthebiddingoftwoshallow，heartlesswomen，whowoulddanceoveryourgravewithoutapangofremorse，orsentimentofanykind，sincetheylive，likemidges，ONLYTODANCEINTHESUN，ANDSUCKSOMEWORKER"SBLOOD。"

"Oh，Christie!I"msoeasilyled。Iamtoogreatafooltolive。

Killme!"

Andshekneeleddown，andrenewedtherequest，lookingupinhisfacewithanexpressionthatmighthavedisarmedCainipsum。

Hesmiledsuperior。"Thequestionis，areyousorryyouhavebeensothoughtless?"

"Yes，dear。Oh!oh!"

"Willyoubeverygoodtomakeup?"

"Oh，yes。Onlytellmehow；foritdoesnotcomenaturaltopoorme。"

"Keepoutofthosewomen"swayfortherestoftheseason。"

"Iwill。"

"Bringyourstayshome，andallowmetodowhatIlikewiththem。"

"Ofcourse。Cuttheminamillionpieces。"

"Tillyouarerecovered，youmustbemypatient，andgonowherewithoutme。"

"Thatisnopunishment，Iamsure。"

"Punishment!AmIthemantopunishyou?Ionlywanttosaveyou。"

"Well，darling，itwon"tbethefirsttime。"

"No；butIdohopeitwillbethelast。"

CHAPTERXI。

"Sublatacausatollitureffectus。"Thestaysbeinggone，anddissipationmoderated，Mrs。Stainesbloomedagain，andtheygaveoneortwounpretendinglittledinnersattheBijou。Dr。Stainesadmittednofalsefriendstothese。Theyneverwentbeyondeight；

fivegentlemen，threeladies。Bythisarrangementtheterriblediscursivenessofthefair，andman"scrueldispositiontoworkasubjectthreadbare，werecontrolledandmodified，andahappybalanceofconversationestablished。LadyCicelyTrehernewasalwaysinvited，andalwaysmanagedtocome；forshesaid，"TheywerethemostagweeablelittlepaatiesinLondon，andthehostandhostessbothsointewesting。"Intheautumn，Stainesworkeddoubletideswiththepen，andfoundavehicleformedicalnarrativesinaweeklymagazinethatdidnotprofessmedicine。

Thisnewveinputhiminheart。Hisfees，towardstheendoftheyear，werelessthanlastyear，becausetherewasnohundred-guineafee；buttherewasamarkedincreaseinthesmallfees，andtheunflaggingpenhadactuallyearnedhimtwohundredpounds，ornearly。Sohewasingoodspirits。

NotsoMrs。Staines；forsometimeshehadbeenuneasy，fretful，andlikeapersonwithaweightonhermind。

OneSundayshesaidtohim，"Oh，dear，Idofeelsodull。Nobodytogotochurchwith，noryettotheZoo。"

"I"llgowithyou，"saidStaines。

"Youwill!Towhich?"

"Toboth；inforapenny，inforapound。"

Sotochurchtheywent；andStaines，whosemottowas"Hocage，"

mindedhisbook。Rosahadintervalsofattentiontothewords，butfoundplentyoftimetostudythecostumes。

DuringtheLitanyinbustledClara，thehousemaid，withawhitejacketonsolikehermistress"s，thatRosaclutchedherownconvulsively，toseewhethershehadnotbeenskinnedofitbysomedevilishsleight-of-hand。

No，itwasonherback；butClara"swasidentical。

Inherexcitement，RosapinchedStaines，andwithhernose，thatwentlikeawater-wagtail，pointedoutthemalefactor。Thenshewhispered，"Look!Howdareshe?Myveryjacket!Earringstoo，andbrooches，anddressesherhairlikemine。"

"Well，nevermind，"whisperedStaines。"Sundayisherday。Wehavegotalltheweektoshine。There，don"tlookather——"Fromallevilspeaking，lying，andslandering""——

"Ican"tkeepmyeyesoffher。"

"AttendtotheLitany。Doyouknow，thisisreallyabeautifulcomposition?"

"I"dratherdotheworkfiftytimesovermyself。"

"Hush!peoplewillhearyou。"

Whentheywalkedhomeafterchurch，Stainestriedtodivertherfromtheconsiderationofherwrongs；butno——allothertopicsweretooflatbycomparison。

Shemournedthehardfateofmistresses——unfortunatecreaturesthatcouldnotdowithoutservants。

"Isnotthataconfessionthatservantsaregood，usefulcreatures，withalltheirfaults?Thenastothemaniafordress，why，thatisnotconfinedtothem。Itisthemaniaofthesex。Areyoufreefromit?"

"No，ofcoursenot。ButIamalady，ifyouplease。"

"Thensheisyourintellectualinferior，andmoreexcusable。

Anyway，itiswisetoconniveatathingwecan"thelp。"

"Whatkeepher，afterthis?no，never。"

"Mydear，praydonotsendheraway，forsheistidyinthehouse，andquick，andbetterthananyonewehavehadthislastsixmonths；andyouknowyouhavetriedagreatnumber。"

"Tohearyouspeak，onewouldthinkitwasmyfaultthatwehavesomanybadservants。"

"Ineversaiditwasyourfault；butITHINK，dearest，alittlemoreforbearanceintrifles"——

"Trifles!trifles——foramistressandmaidtobeseendressedalikeinthesamechurch?Youtaketheservants"partagainstme，thatyoudo。"

"Youshouldnotsaythat，eveninjest。Comenow，doyoureallythinkajacketlikeyourscanmaketheservantlooklikeyou，ordetractfromyourgraceandbeauty?Thereisaverysimpleway；

putyourjacketbyforafutureoccasion，andwearsomethingelseinitssteadatchurch。"

"Anicething，indeed，togiveintothesecreatures。Iwon"tdoit。"

"Whywon"tyou，thisonce?"

"BecauseIwon"t——there!"

"Thatisunanswerable，"saidhe。

Mrs。Stainessaidthat；butwhenitcametoacting，shedeferredtoherhusband"swish；sheresignedherintentionofsendingforClaraandgivingherwarning。Onthecontrary，whenClaraletherin，andthewhitejacketsrubbedtogetherinthenarrowpassage，sheactuallysaidnothing，butstalkedtoherownroom，andtoreherjacketoff，andflungitonthefloor。

Unfortunately，shewassolongdressingfortheZoo，thatClaracameintoarrangetheroom。Shepicksupthewhitejacket，takesitinbothhands，givesitaflap，andproceedstohangitupinthewardrobe。

Thenthegreatfeminineheartburstitsbounds。

"Youcanleavethatalone。Ishallnotwearthatagain。"

Thereuponensuedanunevenencounter，ClarabeingoneofthoseofwhomtheScripturesays，"Thepoisonofaspsisundertheirtongues。"

"La，ma"am，"saidshe，"why，"tain"tsoverydirty。"

"No；butitistoocommon。"

"Oh，becauseI"vegotonelikeit。Ay。Missisescan"tabideagood-lookingservant，nortosee"emdressedbecoming。"

"Mistressesdonotlikeservantstoforgettheirplace，norwearwhatdoesnotbecometheirsituation。"

"Mysituation!Why，Icanpaymyway，gowhereIwill。Idon"ttrembleatthetradesmen"sknock，assomedo。"

"Leavetheroom!Leaveitthismoment。"

"Leavetheroom，yes——andI"llleavethehousetoo，andtellalltheneighborswhatIknowaboutit。"

Sheflouncedoutandslammedthedoor；andRosasatdown，trembling。

Clararushedtothekitchen，andtheretoldthecookandAndrewPearmanhowshehadgivenittothemistress，andeverywordshehadsaidtoher，withagoodmanymoreshehadnot。

Thecooklaughedandencouragedher。

ButAndrewPearmanwaswroth，andsaid，"Youtoaffrontourmistresslikethat!Why，ifIhadheardyou，I"dhavetwistedyourneckforye。"

"Itwouldtakeabettermanthanyoutodothat。Youmindyourownbusiness。Sticktoyourone-horsechay。"

"Well，I"mnotabovemyplace，forthatmatter。Butyougalsmustalwaysbeapingyourbetters。"

"Ihavegotaproperpride，thatisall，andyouhaven"t。Yououghttobeashamedofyourselftodotwomen"swork；driveabroughamandwaitonahorse，andthencomeinandwaitattable，Youareatea-kettlegroom，thatiswhatyouare。Why，mybrotherwascoachmantoLordFitz-James，andgavehislordshipnoticethefirsttimehehadtodrivethechildren。Sayshe，"Idon"tobjecttothechildren，mylord，butwithherladyshipinthecarriage。"

It"ssuchservantsasyouasspoilplaces。Noservantasknowswhat"sduetoaservantoughttoknowyou。They"dscornyour"quaintance，asIdo，Mr。Pearman。"

"Youareastuck-uphussy，andasoldier"sjade，"roaredAndrew。

"Andyouarealowtea-kettlegroom。"

Thisexpressionwoundedthegreatequestriansoultothequick；therestofSundayheponderedonit；thenextmorninghedrovethedoctor，asusual，butwithaheavyheart。

Meantime，thecookmadehasteandtoldthebakerPearmanhad"gotithot"fromthehousemaid，andshehadcalledhimatea-kettlegroom；andinlessthanhalfanhourafterthatitwasineverystableinthemews。Why，asPearmanwastakingthehorseoutofthebrougham，didn"ttwolittlered-headedurchinscallout，"Here，comeandseethetea-kettlegroom!"andatnightsomemischievousboychalkedontheblackdoorofthestablealargewhitetea-

kettle，andnextmorningadrunken，idlefellow，withaclaypipeinhismouth，andadirtypairofcorduroytrousers，nocoat，butashirtveryopenatthechest，showinginflamedskin，theeffectofdrink，inspectedthatworkofartwithblinkingeyesandvacillatingtoes，andsaid，"Thiscomesofachapdoingtoomuch。

Afewmorelikeyou，andworkwouldbescarce。Afinethingforgentlefolkstomakeonemanfilltwoplaces!butitain"tthegentlefolks"fault，it"sthemanashumors"em。"

Pearmanwasapeaceableman，andmadenoreply，butwentonwithhiswork；onlyduringthedayhetoldhismasterthatheshouldbeobligedtohimifhewouldfillhissituationassoonasconvenient。

Themasterinquiredthecause，andthemantoldhim，andsaidthemewswastoohotforhim。

Thedoctorofferedhimfivepoundsayearmore，knowinghehadatreasure；butPearmansaid，withsadnessandfirmness，thathehadmadeuphismindtogo，andgohewould。

Thedoctor"sheartfairlysankattheprospectoflosingtheonecreaturehecoulddependupon。

NextSundayeveningClarawasout，andfellinwithfriends，towhomsheexaggeratedhergrievance。

Thentheyworkedheruptofury，afterthemannerofservants"

FRIENDS。Shecamehome，packedherbox，broughtitdown，andthenflouncedintotheroomtoDoctorandMrs。Staines，andsaid，"I

shan"tsleepanothernightinthishouse。"

Rosawasabouttospeak，butDr。Stainesforbadeher:hesaid，"Youhadbetterthinktwiceofthat。Youareagoodservant，thoughforonceyouhavebeenbetrayedintospeakingdisrespectfully。Whyforfeityourcharacter，andthreeweeks"wages?"

"Idon"tcareformywages。Iwon"tstayinsuchahouseasthis。"

"Come，youmustnotbeimpertinent。"

"Idon"tmeanto，sir，"saidshe，loweringhervoicesuddenly；

then，raisingitassuddenly，"Therearemykeys，ma"am，andyoucansearchmybox。"

"Mrs。Staineswillnotsearchyourbox；andyouwillretireatoncetoyourownpartofthehouse。"

"I"llgofartherthanthat，"saidshe，andsoonafterthestreetdoorwasslammed；theBijoushook。

Atsixo"clocknextmorning，shecameforherbox。Ithadbeenputawayforsafety。Pearmantoldhershemustwaittillthedoctorcamedown。Shedidnotwait，butwentatelevenA。M。toapolice-

magistrate，andtookoutasummonsagainstDr。Staines，fordetainingaboxcontainingcertainarticlesspecified——valueunderfifteenpounds。

WhenDr。Stainesheardshehadbeenforherbox，butleftnoaddress，hesentPearmantohuntforher。Hecouldnotfindher。

Sheavoidedthehouse，butsentawomanforherdiurnalloveletters。Dr。Stainessentthewomanbacktofetchher。Shecame，receivedherbox，herletters，andthebalanceofherwages，whichwassmall，forStainesdeductedthethreeweeks"wages。

Twodaysafterwards，tohissurprise，thesummonswasserved。

Outofrespectforacourtofjustice，howeverhumble，Dr。StainesattendednextMondaytomeetthesummons。

Themagistratewasanelderlyman，withafaceshapedlikeahog"s，butmuchricherincolor，beingpurpleandpimply；sofoulavisageStaineshadrarelyseen，eveninthelowestclassofthecommunity。

Clarasworethatherboxhadbeenopened，andcertainthingsstolenoutofit；andthatshehadbeenrefusedtheboxnextmorning。

Stainessworethathehadneveropenedthebox，andthat，ifanyoneelsehad，itwaswithherconsent，forshehadleftthekeysforthatpurpose。Hebadethemagistrateobservethatifaservantwentawaylikethis，andleftnoaddress，sheputitoutofthemaster"sPOWERtosendherboxafterher；andheprovedhehadsometroubletoforcetheboxonher。

Thepig-facedbeakshowedamanifestleaningtowardstheservant，buttherewasn"talegtostandon；andhedidnotbelieve，norwasitcredible，thatanythinghadbeenstolenoutofherbox。

Atthismoment，Pearman，sentbyRosa，enteredthecourtwithanoldgownofClara"sthathadbeendiscoveredinthescullery，andascribbling-bookofthedoctor"s，whichClarahadappropriated，andwrittenamorousversesin，verysuperior——innumber——tothosethathavecomedowntousfromAnacreon。

"Handmethose，"saidthepig-facedbeak。

"Whatarethey，Dr。Staines?"

"Ireallydon"tknow。Imustaskmyservant。"

"Why，morethingsofminethathavebeendetained，"saidClara。

"Somethingsthathavebeenfoundsincesheleft，"saidStaines。

"Oh!thosethathideknowwheretofind。"

"Youngwoman，"saidStaines，"donotinsultthosewhosebreadyouhaveeaten，andwhohavegivenyoumanypresentsbesidesyourwages。Sinceyouaresoreadytoaccusepeopleofstealing，permitmetosaythatthisbookismine，andnotyours；andyet，yousee，itissentafteryoubecauseyouhavewrittenyourtrashinit。"

Thepurple，pig-facedbeakwentinstantlyoutoftherecord，andwastedadealoftimereadingClara"spoetry，andtryingtobewitty。Heraisedthequestionwhosebookthiswas。ThegirlsworethatitWASgivenherbyaladywhowasnowinRome。Stainessworeheboughtitofacertainstationer，andhappeningtohavehispassbookinhispocket，producedanentrycorrespondingwiththedateofthebook。

Thepig-facedbeaksaidthatthedoctor"swasanimprobablestory，andthatthegownandthebookwerequiteenoughtojustifythesummons。Verdict，oneguineacosts。

"What，becausetwothingssheneverdemandedhavebeenfoundandsentafterher?Thisismonstrous。Ishallappealtoyoursuperiors。"

"IfyouareimpertinentI"llfineyoufivepounds。"

"Verywell，sir。Nowhearme:ifthisisanhonestjudgment，I

prayGodImaybedeadbeforetheyear"sout；and，ifitisn"t，I

prayGodyoumaybe。"

Thenthepig-facedbeakfiredup，andthreatenedtofinehimforblaspheming。

Hedeignednoreply，butpaidtheguinea，andClarasweptoutofthecourt，withatrainayardlong，andleaningonthearmofascarletsoldierwhoavengedDr。Staineswithmilitarypromptitude。

Christopherwenthomeraginginternally，forhithertohehadneverseensogrossacaseofinjustice。

Oneofhishumblepatientsfollowedhim，andsaid，"IwishIhadknown，sir；youshouldn"thavecomeheretobeinsulted。Why，nogentlemancanevergetjusticeagainstaservantgirlwhenHEissitting。Itisnotorious，andthatmakesthesehussiessobold。

I"veseenthatjadeherewiththesamestorytwiceafore。"

Stainesreachedhomemorediscomposedthanhecouldhavehimselfbelieved。Thereasonwasthatbarefacedinjusticeinacourtofjusticeshookhiswholefaithinman。Heopenedthestreetdoorwithhislatch-key，andfoundtwomenstandinginthepassage。Heinquiredwhattheywanted。

"Well，sir，"saidoneofthem，civillyenough，"weonlywantourdue。"

"Forwhat?"

"Forgoodsdeliveredatthishouse，sir。Balanceofaccount。"Andhehandedhimabutcher"sbill，L88，11s。51/2d。

"Youmustbemistaken；werunnobillshere。Wepayreadymoneyforeverything。"

"Well，sir，"saidthebutcher，"therehavebeenpayments；butthebalancehasalwaysbeengaining；andwehavebeenputoffsooften，wedeterminedtoseethemaster。Showyouthebooks，sir，andwelcome。"

"Thisinstant，ifyouplease。"Hetookthebutcher"saddress，whothenretired，andtheothertradesman，agrocer，toldhimasimilartale；balance，sixtypoundsodd。

Hewenttothebutcher"s，sickatheart，inspectedthebooks，andsawthat，rightorwrong，theywereincontrovertible；thatdebthadbeengainingslowly，butsurely，almostfromthetimeheconfidedtheaccountstohiswife。Shehadkeptfaithwithhimaboutfiveweeks，nomore。

Thegrocer"sbookstoldasimilartale。

Thedebtorputhishandtohisheart，andstoodamoment。Theverygrocerpitiedhim，andsaid，"There"snoharry，doctor；atrifleonaccount，ifsettlementinfullnotconvenientjustnow。Iseeyouhavebeenkeptinthedark。"

"No，no，"saidChristopher；"I"llpayeveryshilling。"Hegaveonegulp，andhurriedaway。

Atthefishmonger"s，thesamestory，onlyforasmalleramount。

Abillofnineteenpoundsattheverypastrycook"s；aplaceshehadpromisedhim，asherphysician，nevertoenter。

Atthedraper"s，thirty-sevenpoundsodd。

Inshort，wherevershehaddealt，thesamesystem:partialpayments，andever-growingdebt。

RememberingMadameCie，hedroveinacabtoRegentStreet，andaskedforMrs。Staines"saccount。

"ShallIsendit，sir?"

"No；Iwilltakeitwithme。"

"MissEdwards，makeoutMrs。Staines"saccount，ifyouplease。"

MissEdwardswasagoodwhilemakingitout；butitwasreadyatlast。Hethrustitintohispocket，withoutdaringtolookatitthere；buthewentintoVerrey"s，andaskedforacupofcoffee，andperusedthedocument。

Theprincipalitemswereasfollows:——

Ls。

May4。Re-shapingandrepairingelegantlacemantle，18

Chipbonnet，feather，andflowers……44

May20。Makingandtrimmingbluesilkdress——materialpartfound……1919

Fiveyardsrichbluesilktomatch……42

June1。Polonaiseandjackettrimmedwithlace——

materialpartfound……1717

June8。Oneblacksilkdress，handsomelytrimmedwithjetguipureandlace……4918

Afewshredsandfragmentsoffinery，boughtatoddtimes，swelledthebilltoL9911s。6d——nottoterrifythefemalemindwiththreefigures。

Andletnounsophisticatedyoungladyimaginethatthetrimmings，whichconstitutedthree-fourthsofthisbill，wereworthanything。

Theword"lace，"inMadameCie"sbill，invariablymeantmachine-

madetrash，worthtenpenceayard，butchargedeighteenshillingsayardforonepennyworthofworkinputtingiton。Wherereallacewasused，MadameCiealwaysLETHERCUSTOMERSKNOWIT。MissLucas"sbillforthisyearcontainedthetwofollowinglittleitems:——

Ls。

Richgrosdececilepolonaiseandjackettomatch，trimmedwithChantillylaceandvalenciennes……685

Superbrobedechambre，richlytrimmedwithskunkfur。400

Thecustomerfoundthestuff；viz。，twoshawls。Carolinafoundthenastylittlepole-cats，andgottwenty-fourshillingsforthem；

MadameCiefoundTHEREST。

ButChristopherStaineshadnotMissLucas"sbilltocomparehiswife"swith。Hecouldonlycomparethelatterwiththeirincome，andwithmalenotionsofcommonsenseandreason。

Hewenthome，andintohisstudio，andsatdownonhishardbeechchair；helookedroundonhisbooksandhiswork，andthen，forthefirsttime，rememberedhowlongandhowpatientlyhehadtoiledforeveryhundredpoundshehadmade；andhelaidtheevidencesofhiswife"sprofusionanddeceitbythesideofthosesignsofpainfulindustryandself-denial，andhissoulfilledwithbitterness。

"Deceit!deceit!"

Mrs。Stainesheardhewasinthehouse，andcametoknowaboutthetrial。Shecamehurriedlyin，andcaughthimwithhisheadonthetable，inanattitudeofprostration，quitenewtohim；heraisedhisheaddirectlyheheardher，andrevealedaface，pale，stern，andwretched。