ing-room, found Violet
disconsolately covering a sheet of paper with figures.

'Abstruse calculations?' said he.

'Yes, very,' said she, sighing, with the mystified face of a child
losing its way in a long sum.

He did not like to leave her in such evident difficulties, and said,
with a smile, 'Your budget? Are you good at arithmetic?'

'I can do the sums, if that was all, but I don't know what to set out
from, or anything about it. Mamma said she could not think how I should
keep house.'

'She would be the best person to give you counsel, I should think.'

'Yes, but--' and she looked down, struggling with tears, 'I must not
write to ask her.'

'How so!'

'Arthur says the Wrangerton people would gossip, and I should not like
that,' said she; 'only it is very hard to make out for myself, and those
things tease Arthur.'

'They are not much in his line,' said John; 'I don't know,' he added,
hesitating, 'whether it would be of any use to you to talk it over with
me. There was a time when I considered the management of such an income;
and though it never came to practice, mine may be better than no notions
at all.'

'Oh, thank you!' said Violet, eagerly; then, pausing, she said, with a
sweet embarrassment, 'only--you can't like it.'

'Thank you,' replied he, with kind earnestness; 'I should like to be of
use to you.'

'It is just what I want. I am sure Arthur would like me to do it. You
see this is what he gives me, and I am to buy everything out of it.'

'The best plan,' said John; 'it never answers to be always applying for
money.'

'No,' said Violet, thoughtfully, as she recollected certain home scenes,
and then was angry with herself for fancying Arthur could wear such
looks as those which all the house dreaded.

Meanwhile John had perceived how differently Arthur had apportioned the
income from what his own intentions had been. He had great doubts of the
possibility of her well-doing, but he kept them to himself. He advised
her to consider her items, and soon saw she was more bewildered than
helpless. He knew no more than Arthur on the knotty point of the number
of maids, but he was able to pronounce her plan sensible, and her eyes
brightened, as she spoke of a housemaid of mamma's who wanted to better
herself, and get out of the way of the little ones, 'who were always
racketing.'

'And now,' said John, 'we passed over one important question--or is that
settled otherwise?--your own pocket-money!'