Woman's Trials; Or, Tales and Sketches from the Life around Us

, ere an hour went by, in despair at the unmannerly rudeness of the children, the oldest a stout, vulgar-looking boy, who went racing and rummaging about the house from the garret to the ce

, "to think that we sho

position, mother," replied Edith. "Let us meet i

hat dreadful man with even common

duty to make all as pleasant and comfortable as possible. We wi

sighed deeply

Ah, the thought ma

together in our own dear home

a certain price! Does not the thought bring a feeling of painful humiliation? What can pay for all this? Ah me! The anticipation had in it not a glimpse of what we have found in our brief experience. Except Mr. a

gton. "Henry's been out with hi

t to choose," said Edith. "And then Mr. Barling is with Miriam in the parlour alm

o say that Mr. Ring was in the parlour, and wished to speak with Mrs. Darlington. It

rouble, Mrs. Darlington

ind that my wife has been grossly insulted by a fellow whose family you have t

ant occurrence to which you allude; but I do not see how it

lf about that. You can choose

o seek another boarding-house, he wo

uld take such a fell

vacant, and I h

ant. But this is neither here nor t

afraid to approach Mr. Scragg on the subject. Had s

his name as Burton, and agreed to pay eight dollars. Mrs. Darlington liked him very much. There was a certain style about him that evidenced good breeding and a knowl

eenth year, and was, as we have said, a gentle, timid, shrinking girl. Though she did not encourage, she would not reject the attentions of

enerally, at first, an embarrassing silence. Scragg looked like a bull-dog waiting for an occasion to bark; Mrs. Scragg sat with her lips closely compressed and her head partly turned away, so as to keep her eyes out of the line of vision with Mrs. Grimes's face; while Mrs. Grimes gave an occasional glance of contempt towards the lady with whom she had had a "tiff." Barling and Mason, observing all this, and enjoying it, were generally the first to break the reigning silence; and this was usually done by addressing

hree times during this period she had been obliged to change her cook, yet, for all, scarcely a day passed that she did not set badly cooked food before her guests. Sometimes certain of the boarders complained, and it generally happened that rudeness accompanied the complaint. The sense of

s. Mason and Barling had introduced him into gay company, and, fascinated with a new and more exciting kind of life, he was fast forming associations and acquiring habits of a dangerous character. It was rare that he spent an evening at home; and, instead of being of any assistance to his mother, was constantly making demands on her for money. The pain all this occasioned Mrs. Darlington was of the most distressing character. Since the children of Mr. and Mrs. Scragg came into the house, Edward and Ellen, who

aking boarders, after the lapse