Now, just at the moment Ellis said this, his wife was on the eve of making the announcement, in rather a peremptory and dogmatic way, that if he didn’t give her the money to buy new parlour carpets, for which she had been asking as much as a year past, she would go and order them, and have the bill sent in to him.  All day this subject had been in her mind, and she had argued herself into the belief that her husband was perfectly able, not only to afford her new carpets, but also new parlour furniture; and that his unwillingness to do so arose from a penurious spirit.  Such being her state of mind, she was not prepared to see in the words, voice, and look of her husband the real truth that it was so important for her to know.  From the beginning of their married life, she had been disposed to spend freely, and he to restrain her.  In consequence, there was a kind of feud between them; and now she regarded his words as coming from a desire on his part to make her believe that he was poorer, in the matter of this world’s goods, than was really the case.  Her reply, therefore, rather pettishly uttered, was—­

“Oh!  I’ve heard enough about your affairs.  No doubt you are on the verge of bankruptcy.  A man who indulges his family to the extent that you do must expect shipwreck with every coming gale.”

The change of countenance and exclamation with which this heartless retort was made startled even Cara.  Rising quickly to his feet, and flinging upon his wife a look of reproach, Ellis left the room.  A moment or two afterwards, the street-door shut after him with a heavy jar.

It was past midnight when he came home, and then he was stupid from drink.

CHAPTER XI.

How different was it with Wilkinson, when he returned to his wife on the same evening, in a most gloomy, troubled, and desponding state of mind!  A review of his affairs had brought little, if any thing, to encourage him.  This dead loss of two thousand dollars was more, he felt, than he could bear.  Ere this came upon him, there was often great difficulty in making his payments.  How should he be able to make them now, with such an extra weight to carry?  The thought completely disheartened him.

“I, too, ought to retrench,” said he, mentally, his thoughts recurring to the interview which had taken place between him and Ellis.  “In fact, I don’t see what else is to save me.  But how can I ask Mary to give up her present style of living?  How can I ask her to move into a smaller house? to relinquish one of her domestics, and in other respects to deny herself, when the necessity for so doing is wholly chargeable to my folly?  It is no use; I can’t do it.  Every change—­every step downwards, would rebuke me.  No—­no.  Upon Mary must not rest the evil consequences of my insane conduct.  Let me, alone, suffer.”

But how, alone, was he to bear, without sinking beneath the weight, the pressure that was upon him?