st gave
way to temptation. I fear she had been rather over-educated for her
station in life, for she knew by heart many passages in _Lalla Rookh_,
the _Corsair_, and the _Siege of Corinth_, which had given her a distaste
for domestic occupations, and caused her a withering disappointment at
the discovery that Mr. Steene, since his marriage, had lost all interest
in the "bulbul," openly preferred discussing the nature of spavin with a
coarse neighbour, and was angry if the pudding turned out watery--indeed,
was simply a top-booted "vet.", who came in hungry at dinner-time; and
not in the least like a nobleman turned Corsair out of pure scorn for his
race, or like a renegade with a turban and crescent, unless it were in
the irritability of his temper. And scorn is such a very different thing
in top-boots!

This brutal man had invited a supper-party for Christmas eve, when he
would expect to see mince-pies on the table. Mrs. Steene had prepared
her mince-meat, and had devoted much butter, fine flour, and labour, to
the making of a batch of pies in the morning; but they proved to be so
very heavy when they came out of the oven, that she could only think with
trembling of the moment when her husband should catch sight of them on
the supper-table. He would storm at her, she was certain; and before all
the company; and then she should never help crying: it was so dreadful to
think she had come to that, after the bulbul and everything! Suddenly
the thought darted through her mind that _this once_ she might send for a
dish of mince-pies from Freely's: she knew he had some. But what was to
become of the eighteen heavy mince-pies? Oh, it was of no use thinking
about that; it was very expensive--indeed, making mince-pies at all was a
great expense, when they were not sure to turn out well: it would be much
better to buy them ready-made. You paid a little more for them, but
there was no risk of waste.

Such was the sophistry with which this misguided young woman--enough.
Mrs. Steene sent for the mince-pies, and, I am grieved to add, garbled
her household accounts in order to conceal the fact from her husband.
This was the second step in a downward course, all owing to a young
woman's being out of harmony with her circumstances, yearning after
renegades and bulbuls, and being subject to claims from a veterinary
surgeon fond of mince-pies. The third step was to harden herself by
telling the fact of the bought mince-pies to h