Mrs. Burgess.

"Nothing very particular. Have you?"

"Yes. Mrs. Lemmon called to see me this morning; she is an intimate
friend of Mrs. Ellison. She told me that the small income which Mrs.
Ellison has enjoyed since her husband's death has, at the final
settlement of his estate, been cut off, the estate proving to be
utterly insolvent. A month has elapsed since she has been deprived
of all means of living beyond the small sum of money that happened
to be in her hands, an amount not over thirty or forty dollars.
Since that time Lucy has been anxiously looking about for some kind
of employment that would yield enough for the support of the family,
to obtain which she was willing to devote every energy of body and
mind. The vacancy in Mr. C----'s school is the first opening of any
kind that has yet presented itself. For this she was fully
competent, and the salary would have supported the family quite
comfortably. It is too bad that she should not have obtained it. I
am almost sure, if you had gone at once to see about it, that you
might have obtained it for her."

"Well, I was going to see about it at once, but something or other
prevented me. If I really thought it was my fault, I should feel
very bad."

That afternoon accident made him fully acquainted with the fact that
he, and he alone, was to blame in the matter, and then he felt bad
enough.

"That dreadful habit of procrastination," he murmured to himself,