e money."

"There is more urgent demand than you know of," Mr. Smith said to
himself with bitter emphasis. He added aloud,--

"Mr. Day may know something about the matter; but I am sure he is
mistaken in the calculation he makes. It is said this morning, by
those who know, that the assets of the bank are principally in
worthless stocks, and that the shareholders will never get a cent.
My advice, then, is to sell immediately; a bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush."

But both the wife and aunt objected; and so soon after marriage he
felt that positive opposition would come with a bad grace.

Steadily day after day, the stock went down, down, down--and day
after day Mr. Smith persisted in having it sold. The fact was, duns
now met him at every turn, and it was with the utmost difficulty
that he could prevent his wife and her aunt from guessing at the
nature of the many calls of his "particular friends." Money he must
have, or he could not keep out of prison long, and the only chance
for his obtaining money was in the sale of his wife's stock. But at
the rates for which it was now selling, the whole proceeds would not
cover the claims against him. At last, when the stock had fallen to
twenty dollars, Mrs. Smith yielded to her husband's earnest
persuasions, and handed him over the certificates of her stock, that
he might dispose of them to the best possible advantage.

"Mr. Smith is late in coming home to his dinner," the aunt said,
looking at the timepiece.

The young wife lifted her head from her hand, with a sigh, and
merely responded,

"Yes, he is rather late."

"I wonder what keeps him so!" the old lady remarked, about five
minutes after, breaking the oppressive silence.

"I'm sure I cannot tell. I gave him my certificates of stock to sell
this morning."

"You did? I am afraid that was wrong, Margaretta."

"I'm sure I cannot tell whether it is or not, aunt. But I've had no
peace about them, night nor day, since the bank failed."

There was bitterness in the tone of Margaretta's voice, that touched
the feelings of her aunt, and tended to confirm her worst fears. But
she could not, now, speak out plainly, as she had felt constrained
to do before marriage, and therefore did not reply.

For more than an hour did the two women wait for the return of Mr.
Smith, and then they went through the form of sitting down to the
dinner-table. But few mouthfuls of food passed the lips of either of
them.

Hour a