‘No, no.’

Sidney ate what was put before him without giving a thought to it.  When his eyes wandered round the kitchen the disorder and dirt worried him, but on that subject he could not speak.  His hunger appeased, he looked steadily at Amy, and said in a kindly tone: 

’Father tells me you’ve had a stroke of bad luck, Amy.  We must have a try at another place, mustn’t we?  Hollo, there’s a window broken!  Has Tom been playing at cricket in the room, eh?’

The girls kept silence.

‘Come and let’s make out the list for our shopping this afternoon,’ he continued.  ’I’m afraid there’ll have to be something the less for that window, girls; what do you say?’

‘We’ll do without a pudding to-morrow, Sidney,’ suggested Annie.

‘Oh come, now!  I’m fond of pudding.’

Thus it was always; if he could not direct by kindness, he would never try to rule by harsh words.  Six years ago it was not so easy for him to be gentle under provocation, and he would then have made a better disciplinarian in such a home as this.  On Amy and Tom all his rare goodness was thrown away.  Never mind; shall one go over to the side of evil because one despairs of vanquishing it?

The budget, the budget!  Always so many things perforce cut out; always such cruel pressure of things that could not be cut out.  In the early days of his marriage he had accustomed himself to a liberality of expenditure out of proportion to his income; the little store of savings allowed him to indulge his kindness to Clara and her relatives, and he kept putting off to the future that strict revision of outlay which his position of course demanded.  The day when he had no longer a choice came all too soon; with alarm he discovered that his savings had melted away; the few sovereigns remaining must be sternly guarded for the hour of stern necessity.  How it ground on his sensibilities when he was compelled to refuse some request from Clara or the girls!  His generous nature suffered pangs of self-contempt as often as there was talk of economy.  To-day, for instance, whilst he was worrying in thought over Amy’s behaviour, and at the same time trying to cut down the Saturday’s purchases in order to pay for the broken window, up comes Tom with the announcement that he lost his hat this morning, and had to return bareheaded.  Another unforeseen expense!  And Sidney was angry with himself for his impulse of anger against the boy.

Clara never went out to make purchases, seldom indeed left the house for any reason, unless Sidney persuaded her to walk a short distance with him after sundown, when she veiled herself closely.  Neither Amy nor Anne could be trusted to do all the shopping, so that Sidney generally accompanied one or other of them for that purpose on Saturday afternoon.  To-day he asked Amy to go with him, wishing, if possible, to influence her for good by kind, brotherly talk.  Whilst she was getting ready he took John aside into the parlour, to impart a strange piece of news he had brought from Clerkenwell.