that it had become necessary for her to do something as a means of
supporting the family. The salary given by Mr. C----to his French
teacher is five hundred dollars. I really pitied the young thing
from my heart. Think of our Mary, in two or three years from this,
when, if ever, a cloudless sky should bend over her, going to some
old friend of her father's, and almost tearfully soliciting him to
beg for her, of another, the privilege of toiling for bread. It made
my heart ache."

"She must be very young," remarked Mrs. Burgess.

"Not over eighteen or nineteen."

"Poor thing! What a sad, sad change she must feel it to be! But did
you call upon Mr. C----?"

A slight shade passed over the countenance of Paul.

"Not yet," he replied.

"Oh, you ought to have gone at once."

"I know. I was going as soon as Lucy left, but I thought I would
attend to a little business down town first, and go to Mr. C----'s
immediately on my return. When I came back, I thought I would look
over the newspaper a little; I wanted to see what had been said in
Congress on the tariff question, which is now the all-absorbing
topic. I became so much interested in the remarks of one of the
members, that I forgot all about Lucy Ellison until I was called off
by a customer, who occupied me until dinner-time. But I will