A WAY TO BE HAPPY. 143

 

a gentleman, he, after a little while, gave
up visiting at the shops of his old fellow-
tradesmen. He did not like to be seen on
terms of intimacy with working people!
Street-walking did very well at first, but
he tired of that; it was going over and
over the same ground. He would have
ridden out and seen the country, but he
had never been twice on horseback in his
life, and felt rather afraid of his neck. In
fact, nothing’ was left to him, but to lounge
about the house the greater portion of his
time, and grumble at every thing; this
only made matters worse, for Mrs. Parker
would not submit to grumbling without a
few words back that cut like razors. .
From a contented man, Mr. Parker be-
came, at the end of six months, a burden
to himself. Little things that did not in
- the least disturb him before, now fretted
him beyond measure. He had lost the
quiet, even temper of mind that made life

so pleasant.
xI.—M