r homeless. Money had so
long been his idol that tender and benevolent emotions were well-nigh
extinguished in his world-hardened heart. For a long time after Mr.
Tompkins left the house Mrs. Ashton remained in deep thought. There are,
dear reader, dark periods in the lives of most of us, when, turn which
way we will, we find ourselves surrounded, as by a thick hedge, with
difficulties and troubles from which we see no escape.

At such periods it is good for us to call to mind the fact, that the
darkest cloud often has a silver lining, and that if we discharged, to
the best of our ability, our duties for the time being, the cloud,
sooner or later, will be reversed, and display its bright side to our
troubled view. The time had now arrived, when Mrs. Ashton must come to
some decision regarding the future. She had no friends to whom she could
turn for aid or counsel in this season of trial. When quite young she
had emigrated from England with her parents and one sister, and settled
in Eastern Canada. About the time of her marriage and removal to W. her
parents, with her sister, removed to one of the Western States: and it
may be the knowledge that she must rely solely upon herself enabled her
to meet her trials with more fortitude than might have been expected.
Some fifty miles from W. was the large and thriving village of Rockford,
and thither Mrs. Ashton at length decided to remove. One reason for this
decision was the excellent institution for the education of young
ladies, which was there located. She was very anxious that her daughter
should obtain a good education, but was sorely puzzled as to raising the
money needful for defraying her expenses. There were a few debts due her
husband at the time of his death; these she collected with little
difficulty. Their dwelling had been handsomely furnished, and she
decided to sell the furniture, as she could easily, upon their arrival
at Rockford, purchase what articles were necessary for furnishing their
new home, which must, of necessity, be humble. One article she felt they
must retain if possible, and that was the piano given her by her father
at the period of her marriage. She did at first entertain the idea of
parting with it, thinking how far the money it would bring would go in
defraying the expenses attendant upon Emma's education, but upon second
consideration, she resolved that they would not part with her father's
parting-gift to her, unless compelled to do so by