There was a short silence; his face worked, his eyes drooped, his fingers nervously grasped the arm of his chair. How should he tell her? Then she broke the pause.

"Francis," she said, going close to him and . laying her hand on his shoulder; "Are you ill, love? do tell me.'

The anxious love in her voice determined him to tell her all, and by degrees he told her all.

It was no unusual story. Knowing nothing of business he had suffered himself to become a shareholder in some company that had paid him twenty per cent. interest once, in return for a few thousand pounds. Again and again he had sunk a few hundreds more, to insure larger profit on his thousands, but again the profits were delayed; and, in fact, nothing was forthcoming but promises. Within the last week only had he suspected the true state of the case, and that very morning his suspicions were verified. The company had failed, and

Mr. Francis Shrugg's liabilities as a shareholder threatened to become very serious.

It took him a long time to tell all this, and he spoke with shame. Horror-stricken as was his wife, she was too true a woman to smite the fallen; her soft hand grasped his tighter, as she heard of the probable loss of every penny she and her children possessedexcept her own small marriage settlement, and even at the first glance of the utter ruin that seemed so inevitable, she seemed to be most in need of pity.

"My poor Francis!" she only said; but perhaps the tender yearning pity in her voice was a keener reproach to his conscience than angry words. And yet Mrs. Shrugg was not a weak worshipper, seeing no fault in her husband because she loved him; he had before this acted unwisely and weakly, to his own and her disadvantage; and she had known it and grieved over it, and in her womanly way tried to "improve the occasion" a little; but all

former trials were as nothing compared with this: yet she said nothing but "My poor Francis!" reading in his averted face and trembling hand, how his punishment was already greater than he could bear.

Then she drew him on to talk the matter over bravely and carefully, but at the end of two hours, the only conclusion to be drawn was that nearly half his property was already literally swallowed up, and his share of further liabilities would be not only possibly but probably, more than he had to pay.

"Does Mr. Sims know?" Mrs. Shrugg asked.

No. Mr. Shrugg had known so well the answer that careful solicitor-his oldest friend -would have given, that he had avoided all mention of his speculation before him-and indeed before any sound man of business, it seemed and had gone headlong to ruin with so much precaution against preservation from it, that it came upon him-overwhelmed him

before a hand could be outstretched to save

him.

"You'll speak to him now?" Mrs. Shrugg said, alluding to their old friend and neighbour. The thought of this confession was very bitter, but if any man could yet help him, that man was Mr. Sims.

I'll

"Yes," he answered after a pause;

go to Sims to-morrow."

"Wouldn't it be best to go now, dear?"

"Yes,

He made an impatient gesture, then checked himself. "Very well, I'll go now," he answer"but you'll go with me?"

ed;

"Yes," she said, rising quickly.

"We'll

take a cab; it's a long way to John Street."

As she had calculated it would, her presence in Mr. Sims' office prevented the lawyer using harsh language to his old school-fellow; he bit his lips, and puckered his brows, and put questions sharply, but he was not altogether unkind, though he had no comfort to give. "The Company was a swindle from beginning

to end," he declared; "he had seen their lying prospectus, and prophesied their fate. No, there was no saving clause. The sums Mr. Shrugg had already invested"-he spoke this word with angry sarcasm, "were of course gone for ever, and in all probability a considerable additional sum would have to follow he might save something; all depended on the number of affluent men amongst the dupes; but he would make inquiries, and find out, if possible, how the land lay.

And as the husband and wife returned home, they felt they had received no comfort.

"I must tell the girls?" the latter asked, as they reached their own door.

"Would you—yet?"

"I think we should; they are sure to notice something is amiss. We must avoid all unnecessary expenses till we know how matters stand; and how can we refuse them customary pleasures without seeming unreasonable, unless we explain ?"