“‘Lizzy,’ said I, ‘we are ruined.’—­’Ruined!’ she exclaimed, and staggered back, until she fell into a seat.  ‘Ruined!’

“’Ay, ruined.  It is a short word, but expressive.’—­’No, no, we are not ruined.  I know what you mean, you would say, we cannot live as we have lived; we must retrench, and so we will, right willingly.’

“‘You must retrench most wonderfully,’ I said, with desperate calmness, ’for the murder must out.’—­’And so we will; but you will be with us; you will not go out night after night, ruining your health, our happiness, and destroying both peace and prospects.’

“’No, no, Lizzy, we have no chance of recovering ourselves; house and home—­all gone—­all, all.’—­’My God!’ she exclaimed.

“‘Ay, rail on,’ said I; ’you have cause enough; but, no matter—­we have lost all.’—­’How—­how?’

“’It is useless to ask how; I have done, and there is an end of the matter; you shall know more another day; we must leave this house for a lodging.’—­’It matters little,’ she said; ’all may be won again, if you will but say you will quit the society of those who have ruined you.’

“‘No one,’ said I, ’has ruined me; I did it; it was no fault of any one else’s; I have not that excuse.’—­’I am sure you can recover.’

“’I may; some day fortune will shower her favours upon me, and I live on in that expectation.’—­’You cannot mean that you will chance the gaming-table? for I am sure you must have lost all there?’

“‘I have.’—­’God help me,’ she said; ’you have done your child a wrong, but you may repair it yet.’

“’Never!’—­’’Tis a long day! let me implore you, on my knees, to leave this place, and adopt some other mode of life; we can be careful; a little will do, and we shall, in time, be equal to, and better than what we have been.’

“‘We never can, save by chance.’—­’And by chance we never shall,’ she replied; ‘if you will exert yourself, we may yet retrieve ourselves.’

“‘And exert myself I will.’—­’And quit the gaming-table?’

“‘Ask me to make no promises,’ said I; ’I may not be able to keep them; therefore, ask me to make none.’—­’I do ask you, beg of, entreat of you to promise, and solemnly promise me that you will leave that fearful place, where men not only lose all their goods, but the feelings of nature also.’

“’Say no more, Lizzy; if I can get a living elsewhere I will, but if not, I must get it there.’

“She seemed to be cast down at this, and she shed tears.  I left the room, and again went to the gambling-house, and there that night, I won a few pounds, which enabled me to take my wife and child away from the house they had so long lived in, and took them afterwards to a miserable place,—­one room, where, indeed, there were a few articles of furniture that I had saved from the general wreck of my own property.

“She took things much less to heart than I could have anticipated; she seemed cheerful and happy,—­she endeavoured to make my home as comfortable as she could.