e 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