been here for two years, an unmarried man; now it was made known
that this state of things was to come to an end; moreover, to the
disappointment of not a few households, it was understood that the
future Mrs. Enderby had been chosen from among his own people, in
London. The lady came, and there was a field-day of criticism. Mrs.
Enderby looked very young, and was undeniably pretty; she had
accomplishments, and evidently liked to exhibit them before her homely
visitors. She exaggerated the refinement of her utterance that it might
all the more strike off against the local accent. It soon became clear
that she would be anything but an assistance to her husband in his
parochial work; one or two attempts were made, apparently with good
will, at intercourse with the poor parishioners, but the enterprise was
distinctly a failure; it had to be definitively given up. Presently a
child was born in the parsonage, and for a little while the young
mother's attention was satisfactorily engaged at home. The child was a
girl and received the name of Maud.

Paul Enderby struggled to bate no jot of his former activity, but a
change was obvious to all. No less obvious the reason of it. Mrs.
Enderby's reckless extravagance had soon involved her husband in great
difficulties. He was growing haggard; his health was failing; his
activity shrank within the narrowest possible limits; he shunned men's
gaze.

Yet all at once there happened something which revived much of his old
zeal, and, in spite of everything, brought him once more prominently
forward. A calamity had visited the town. By a great explosion in a
neighbouring colliery, numbers of homes had been rendered destitute,
and aid of every kind was imperatively called for on all sides. In
former times, Paul Enderby would have been just the man for this
occasion, and even now he was not wanting. Extensive subscriptions were
raised, and he, as chief man in the committee which had been formed,
had chief control of the funds. People said afterwards that they had
often remarked something singular in his manner as he went about in
these duties. Whether that was true or not, something more than
singular happened when, some two months later, accounts were being
investigated and cleared up. Late one evening, Mr. Enderby left
home,--and never returned to it. It was very soon known that he must
have appropriated to his own use considerable sums which had reached
his hands for charitable purposes