year or more, laid her little head to sleep until her father
returned home and who, if he stayed out beyond a certain hour,
would go for him, and lead him back, a very angel of love and
patience--I re-entered the bar-room, to see how life was passing
there. Not one of all I had left in the room remained. The
incident which had occurred was of so painful a nature, that no
further unalloyed pleasure was to be had there during the evening,
and so each had retired. In his little kingdom the landlord sat
alone, his head resting on his hand, and his face shaded from the
light. The whole aspect of the man was that of one in self-
humiliation. As I entered he raised his head, and turned his face
toward me. Its expression was painful.

"Rather an unfortunate affair," said he. "I'm angry with myself,
and sorry for the poor child. But she'd no business here. As for
Joe Morgan, it would take a saint to bear his tongue when once set
a-going by liquor. I wish he'd stay away from the house. Nobody
wants his company. Oh, dear!"

The ejaculation, or rather groan, that closed the sentence showed
how little Slade was satisfied with himself, notwithstanding this
feeble attempt at self-justification.

"His thirst for liquor draws him hither," I remarked. "The
attraction of your bar to his appetite is like that of the magnet
to the needle. He cannot stay away."

"He MUST stay away!" exclaimed the landlord, with some vehemence
of tone, striking his fist upon the table by which he sat. "He
MUST stay away! There is scarcely an evening that he does not