is with Miriam in
the parlor almost every evening. He asks her to sing, and she says she
doesn't like to refuse."

The mother sighed deeply. While they were conversing, a servant came to
their room to say that Mr. Ring was in the parlor, and wished to speak with
Mrs. Darlington. It was late in the afternoon of the day on which the
Scraggs had made their appearance.

With a presentiment of trouble, Mrs. Darlington went down to the parlor.

"Madam," said Mr. Ring, as soon as she entered, speaking in a firm voice,
"I find that my wife has been grossly insulted by a fellow whose family you
have taken into your house. Now they must leave here, or we will, and that
forthwith."

"I regret extremely," replied Mrs. Darlington, "the unpleasant occurrence
to which you allude; but I do not see how it is possible for me to turn
these people out of the house."

"Very well, ma'am. Suit yourself about that. You can choose between us.
Both can't remain."

"If I were to tell this Mr. Scragg to seek another boarding-house, he would
insult me," said Mrs. Darlington.

"Strange that you would take such a fellow into your house!"

"My rooms were vacant, and I had to fill them."

"Better to have let them remain vacant. But this is neither here nor there.
If this fellow remains, we go."

And go they did on the next day. Mrs. Darlington was afraid to approach Mr.
Scragg on the subject. Had she done so, she would have received nothing but
abuse.

Two weeks afterwards, the room vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Ring was taken by a
tall, fine-looking man, who wore a pair of handsome whiskers and dressed
elegantly. He gave his name as Burton, and agreed to pay eight dollars.
Mrs. Darlington liked him very much. There was a certain style about him
that evidenced good breeding and a knowledge of the world. What his
business was he did not say. He was usually in the house as late as ten
o'clock in the morning, and rarely came in before twelve at night.

Soon after Mr. Burton became a member of Mrs. Darlington's household, he
began to show particular attentions to Miriam, who was in her nineteenth
year, and was, as we have said, a gentle, timid, shrinking girl. Though she
did not encourage, she would not reject the attentions of the polite and
elegant stranger, who had so much that was agreeable to say that she
insensibly acquired a kind of prepossession in his favor.

As now constituted, the family of Mrs. Darlington was not so pleasant and
harmo