her friend. But she resolved to confess every thing to
her husband, and promise to conform herself more to his wishes in the
future.

"What," she said, "if he should be in like business difficulties with
Mr. Claxton? He has looked serious for a week past, and has remained at
home every evening during the time--a thing unusual. And I don't think
he has used liquor as freely as common. Something is the matter. Oh, I
wish I had not done that!"

While such thoughts were passing through the mind of Mrs. Ellis, her
husband came home. She met him with an affectionate manner, which he
returned. But there was a cloud on his brow that even her smile could
not drive away. Even as she met him, words of confession were on the
tongue of Mrs. Ellis, but she shrank from giving them utterance.

After tea she resolved to speak. But, when this set-time of
acknowledgment came, she was as little prepared for the task as before.
Mr. Ellis looked so troubled, that she could not find it in her heart
to add to the pressure on his mind an additional weight. And so the
evening passed, the secret of Mrs. Ellis remaining undivulged. And so,
day after day went on.

At length, one morning, the new carpet was sent home and put down. It
was a beautiful carpet; but, as Mrs. Ellis stood looking upon it, after
the upholsterer had departed, she found none of the pleasure she
anticipated.

"Oh, why, why, why did I do this?" she murmured. "Why was I tempted to
such an act of folly?"

Gradually the new carpet faded from the eyes of Mrs. Ellis, and she saw
only the troubled face of her husband. It was within an hour of
dinner-time, and in painful suspense she waited his arrival. Various
plans for subduing the excitement which she saw would be created in his
mind, and for reconciling him to the expense of the carpets, were
thought over by Mrs. Ellis: among those was a proposition that he
should give a note for the bill, which she would pay, when it matured,
out of savings from her weekly allowance of money.

"I can and will do it," said Mrs. Ellis, resolutely: her thought dwelt
longer and longer on this suggestion. "I hope he will not be too angry
to listen to what I have to say, when he comes home and sees the
carpet. He's rather hasty sometimes."

While in the midst of such thoughts, Mrs. Ellis, who had left the
parlour, heard the shutting of the street-door, and the tread of her
husband in the passage. Glancing at the timepiece on the mantel, she