rities
of his. Then it seemed to me as if I ought to try to do something to
get somewhere even. I know it's no excuse; but watching the market to
see what the infernal things were worth from day to day, and seeing it
go up, and seeing it go down, was too much for me; and, to make a long
story short, I began to buy and sell on a margin--just what I told you
I never would do. I seemed to make something--I did make something;
and I'd have stopped, I do believe, if I could have reached the figure
I'd set in my own mind to start with; but I couldn't fetch it. I began
to lose, and then I began to throw good money after bad, just as I
always did with everything that Rogers ever came within a mile of.
Well, what's the use? I lost the money that would have carried me out
of this, and I shouldn't have had to shut down the Works, or sell the
house, or----"

Lapham stopped. His wife, who at first had listened with
mystification, and then dawning incredulity, changing into a look of
relief that was almost triumph, lapsed again into severity. "Silas
Lapham, if you was to die the next minute, is this what you started to
tell me?"

"Why, of course it is. What did you suppose I started to tell you?"

"And--look me in the eyes!--you haven't got anything else on your mind
now?"

"No! There's trouble enough, the Lord knows; but there's nothing else
to tell you. I suppose Pen gave you a hint about it. I dropped
something to her. I've been feeling bad about it, Persis, a good
while, but I hain't had the heart to speak of it. I can't expect you
to say you like it. I've been a fool, I'll allow, and I've been
something worse, if you choose to say so; but that's all. I haven't
hurt anybody but myself--and you and the children."

Mrs. Lapham rose and said, with her face from him, as she turned
towards the door, "It's all right, Silas. I shan't ever bring it up
against you."

She fled out of the room, but all that evening she was very sweet with
him, and seemed to wish in all tacit ways to atone for her past
unkindness.

She made him talk of his business, and he told her of Corey's offer,
and what he had done about it. She did not seem to care for his part
in it, however; at which Lapham was silently disappointed a little, for
he would have liked her to praise him.

"He did it on account of Pen!"

"Well, he didn't insist upon it, anyway," said Lapham, who must have
obscurely expected that Corey would recognise his own m