ad ever performed was now before him, and
he shrunk from it with painful reluctance. But the path of duty was
plain, and he was not a man to hold back when he saw his way clear. If
there had been any hesitation, an imperative dun received before he sat
down to breakfast, and another before nine o'clock, would have
effectually dispelled it.

Mr. Malcolm went to the store of Mr. Elder, one of the vestrymen, and
found him quite busy with customers. He waited for half an hour for him
to be disengaged, and then went out, saying, as he passed him at the
counter, that he would call in again.

"Oh, dear!" he murmured to himself, with a long-drawn sigh, as he
emerged upon the street, "is not this humiliating? If I had engaged for
only four hundred dollars a year, I would have lived on bread and water
rather than have exceeded my income; but at least seven hundred were
promised. It was, however, an informal promise; and I was wrong,
perhaps, in trusting to any thing so unsettled as this. Of course, it
will be paid to me when I make known my present situation; but the
doing of that I shrink from."

"Mr. T-- was here again for his bill," were the first words that saluted
the ears of the minister when he returned home.

"What did you say to him?" he asked.

"I told him that you would settle it very soon. He said he hoped you
would, for he wanted money badly, and it had been running for some
time."

"He was rude, then!"

"A little so," replied the wife, in a meek voice.

Mr. Malcolm paced the floor with rapid steps; he felt deeply disturbed.

An hour afterwards, he entered the store of Mr. Elder, and found the
owner disengaged. He did not linger in preliminaries, but approached
the subject thus:--

"You remember, Mr. Elder, that in the interview I had with you and two
of the vestry previous to my accepting the call of this parish, you
stated that my income would not be limited to the four hundred dollars
named as the minister's salary, which I then told you was a smaller sum
than I could possibly live upon?"

Mr. Elder exhibited a momentary confusion when the minister said this;
but he immediately replied--"Yes, I believe something was said on that
subject, though I have not thought of it since. We always had to make
up something for Mr. Pelton, and I suppose we must do the same for you,
if it is necessary. Do you find your salary inadequate?"

"Entirely so; and I knew it would be inadequate from the first. It is
impo