WEALTH WITHOUT WINGS. =z

 

all the trouble of looking after and caring for her
would be taken from him, and that would be a good
deal gained.

“T’ll tell you what, Edward,” he added. ‘If you
will take her, I will call the sum six dollars a week
—or three hundred a year. That will make the
matter perfectly easy. If your wife does not seem
at first inclined, talk to her seriously. This ad-
dition to your income will bea great help. To show
her that I am perfectly in earnest, and that you
can depend on receiving the sum specified, I will
draw up a little agreement, which, if all parties are
satisfied, can be signed at once.”

Claire promised to talk the matter over with his
wife at dinner-time.

The morning did not pass without varied assaults
upon the young’ man’s recent good resolutions.
Several times he had customers in from whom it
would have been easy to get more than a fair profit,
but he steadily adhered to what he believed to be
right, notwithstanding Jasper once or twice ex-
pressed dissatisfaction at his not having made better
sales, and particularly at his failing to sell a
piece of cloth, because he would not pledge his
word as to its colour and quality—neither of which
_ were good.

The proposition of Jasper for him to make, m
his family, a place for the orphan, caused Claire to
postpone the announcement of his intention to leave
his service, until after he had seen and conferred
with his wife.

At the usual dinner-hour, Claire returned home.
His mind had become by this time somewhat dis-