dering the quietness and
haste, were surprisingly numerous and handsome. Mr. Smith was liked
and respected by a wide circle. Mrs. Polkington felt satisfied and
also very pleased to have Violet, her favourite daughter, with her
again. She and Violet were talking over the events of the day with
mutual congratulation, when Mr. William Ponsonby was announced.

Fortunately, Violet's husband, Mr. Frazer, had gone to see his old
friend the vicar, and more fortunately still, he was persuaded to stay
and dine with him. It would have been rather awkward to have had him
present at the display of family washing which took place that
evening. Mr. Ponsonby did not mince matters; he said, perhaps not
altogether without justice, that he had had about enough of the
Polkingtons. He also said he wanted the truth, and seeing that his
sister had long ago found that about her own concerns so very
unattractive that she never dealt with it naked; it did not show
beautiful now. In the course of time, however, he got it, or near
enough for working purposes. Out came all the bills, and out came the
threatening letter and old account books and remembered debts both of
times past and present; and when he had got them all, he added them
up, showed Mrs. Polkington the total, and asked her what she was going
to do.

She said she did not know; privately she felt there was no need for
her to consider the question; was it not the one her self-invited
brother had come to answer? He did answer it, almost as soon as he
asked it.

"You will have to leave this house," he said, "sell what you can of
its contents and pay all that is possible of your debts. You won't be
able to pay many with that; the rest I shall have to arrange about, I
suppose. Oh, not pay; don't think that for a moment; I've paid a deal
more than I ought for you long ago. I mean to see the people and
arrange that you pay by degrees; you will have to devote most of your
income to that for a time. What will you live on in the meanwhile?
This legacy--it is you who have got it, isn't it?" he said, turning to
Julia; "I thought so. Fortunately the money is not in any way tied up,
you can get at the principal. Well, the best thing to be done is to
buy a good boarding-house. You could make a boarding-house pay,
Caroline," he went on to his sister, "if you tried; your social gifts
would be some use there--you will have to try."

Mrs. Polkington looked a little dismayed, and Violet said, "It woul