a hundred times? And don't she work for her money, and
slave for it mornin', noon, and night? You talk as if we was beholden
to you for the very bread in our mouths. I guess if it hadn't been for
Jim, you wouldn't been here crowin' over us."

"You mind what I say. I mean business this time," said Lapham, turning
to the door.

The woman rose and followed him, with her bottle in her hand. "Say,
Colonel! what should you advise Z'rilla to do about Mr. Wemmel? I tell
her there ain't any use goin' to the trouble to git a divorce without
she's sure about him. Don't you think we'd ought to git him to sign a
paper, or something, that he'll marry her if she gits it? I don't like
to have things going at loose ends the way they are. It ain't sense.
It ain't right."

Lapham made no answer to the mother anxious for her child's future, and
concerned for the moral questions involved. He went out and down the
stairs, and on the pavement at the lower door he almost struck against
Rogers, who had a bag in his hand, and seemed to be hurrying towards
one of the depots. He halted a little, as if to speak to Lapham; but
Lapham turned his back abruptly upon him, and took the other direction.

The days were going by in a monotony of adversity to him, from which he
could no longer escape, even at home. He attempted once or twice to
talk of his troubles to his wife, but she repulsed him sharply; she
seemed to despise and hate him; but he set himself doggedly to make a
confession to her, and he stopped her one night, as she came into the
room where he sat--hastily upon some errand that was to take her
directly away again.

"Persis, there's something I've got to tell you."

She stood still, as if fixed against her will, to listen.

"I guess you know something about it already, and I guess it set you
against me."

"Oh, I guess not, Colonel Lapham. You go your way, and I go mine.
That's all."

She waited for him to speak, listening with a cold, hard smile on her
face.

"I don't say it to make favour with you, because I don't want you to
spare me, and I don't ask you; but I got into it through Milton K.
Rogers."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Lapham contemptuously.

"I always felt the way I said about it--that it wa'n't any better than
gambling, and I say so now. It's like betting on the turn of a card;
and I give you my word of honour, Persis, that I never was in it at all
till that scoundrel began to load me up with those wild-cat secu