“He hasn’t his beat in this country,” she said to old Anderese her brother, as she was trying to take up again her wonted walk through the house. —­ “And she, dear thing! ain’t long for this world; but she’s ready for a better.”

CHAPTER V.

It is not growing like a tree
In bulk, doth make man better be,
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall at last a log, dry, bald, and sear. 
A lily of a day
Is fairer far, in May. 
BEN JONSON.

“What has become of the Landholms?” said Mr. Haye’s young wife, one evening in the end of December.

“Confound the Landholms!” —­ was Mr. Haye’s answering ejaculation, as he kicked his bootjack out of the way of his just-slippered foot.

“Why Mr. Haye!” said Rose, bridling over her netting-work.  “What have the Landholms done?”

“Done!”

“Well, what have they?”

“One of them won’t pay me his dues, and the other is fighting me for trying to get them,” said Mr. Haye, looking at the evening paper with infinite disgust.

“What dues?”

“And what fighting, Mr. Haye?” said Elizabeth and Rose in a breath.

“I can’t answer you if you both speak at once.”

“Well, what do you mean by fighting, Mr. Haye?”

“Fighting.”

“Well, but what sort?” said Rose laughing, while the other lady laid down her book and waited.

“With his own cursed weapons.”

“And what are those, Mr. Haye? you haven’t told us which of the Landholms you mean, yet.”

“One of ’em hasn’t any weapons but his fists and his tongue,” said Mr. Haye.  “He hasn’t tried the first on me —­ I have some small knowledge of the last.”

“What has the other done?” said Elizabeth.

“He is doing what he can, to hinder my getting my rights of his brother.”

“What does his brother owe you?”

“Money, —­” said Mr. Haye shortly.

“I suppose so.  But what for?”

“Business!  What does it signify what for?”

“I should like to know, father.  It must be something which can be told.”

“He bought cotton of me.”

“Can he pay for it?”

“I suppose so.  I’ll try.”

“But what is his brother doing?”

“Trying to hinder, as I told you.”

“But how?  How can he?”

“Don’t ask me what lawyers can or can’t do.  They can put their fingers into any dirty job that offers!”

Elizabeth sat silent a minute with a very disturbed look.  Rose had gone back to her netting, only glancing up once in a while at the faces of the other two.

“Upon what plea does he pretend to hinder it, father?”

“A plea he won’t be able to bear out, I fancy,” said Mr. Haye, turning round in his chair so as to bring his other side to the fire, and not ceasing to look at the paper all this while.