story were positively
engaged to Mr. Scragg, and now one of them was as positively engaged to
Mr. Ring. The face of Mr. Scragg she remembered very well. It was a
hard, sinister face, just such a one as we rarely forget because of the
disagreeable impression it makes. As it came up distinctly before the
eyes of her mind, she was oppressed with a sense of coming trouble. Nor
did she feel altogether satisfied with what she had done--satisfied in
her own conscience.

On the next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Ring came and took possession of the
room previously engaged to Mr. Scragg. They were pleasant people, and
made a good first impression.

As day after day glided past, Mrs. Darlington felt more and more uneasy
about Mr. Scragg, with whom, she had a decided presentiment, there
would be trouble. Had she known where to find him, she would have sent
him a note, saying that she had changed her mind about the rooms, and
could not let him have them. But she was ignorant of his address; and
the only thing left for her was to wait until he came on Monday, and
then get over the difficulty in the best way possible. She and Edith
had talked over the matter frequently, and had come to the
determination to offer Mr. Scragg the two chambers in the third story
for fourteen dollars.

On Monday morning, Mrs. Darlington was nervous. This was the day on
which Mr. Scragg and family were to arrive, and she felt that there
would be trouble.

Mr. Ring, and the other gentlemen boarders, left soon after breakfast.
About ten o'clock, the door-bell rang. Mrs. Darlington was in her room
at the time changing her dress. Thinking that this might be the
announcement of Mr. Scragg's arrival, she hurried through her dressing
in order to get down to the parlour as quickly as possible to meet him
and the difficulty that was to be encountered; but before she was in a
condition to be seen, she heard a man's voice on the stairs, saying--

"Walk up, my dear. The rooms on the second floor are ours."

Then came the noise of many feet in the passage, and the din of
children's voices. Mr. Scragg and his family had arrived.

Mrs. Ring was sitting with the morning paper in her hand, when her door
was flung widely open, and a strange man stepped boldly in, saying, as
he did so, to the lady who followed him--

"This is one of the chambers."

Mrs. Ring arose, bowed, and looked at the intruders with surprise and
embarrassment. Just then, four rude children bounded i