sooner were the family outside the garden gate, however, than the
poor boy with the sprained ankle would perform a _pas seul_ on the
hearthrug, or, in spite of a cold which prevented his going out of
doors, would shout "The old log cabin" with an excellent tone and
remarkable vigor of lung; then, returning to his room, he would take
a French novel from its hiding place under his pillow, and, lighting
a fragrant Havana, would devote the morning to "the improvement of
his mind," as he called it.

Mrs. Rogers employed three servants besides a coachman: a
cook, a housemaid, and a tablemaid. The latter was a young and
attractive-looking girl from Glengarry, Ontario, named Ellen MacNee,
who was about seventeen years old, and had never before been in
service. For this damsel Jack Rogers conceived an attachment, and
although at first the girl withstood his attentions, ere long she
gave way to his importunities, and for months they lived on terms of
the closest intimacy. Jack of course promised (as all men do) to
marry her, and to do him justice I must say that he fully intended
to do so, but his income as a bank clerk was only twenty dollars a
month, and he knew he had no hope of receiving any assistance from
his father. So things went on till Ellen felt she could keep her
secret no longer from those around her, and she told her mistress
she was going home to visit a sick aunt, and did not know whether
she would return or not. Mrs. Rogers was very sorry indeed to part
with her (for she had ingratiated herself with all the family,
although not to the same extent), and told her if she would
undertake to return she would only fill her place temporarily with
another girl. With this understanding Ellen left her place and
entered the Female Home, where shortly afterwards her baby (a girl)
was born; she had the child baptized almost immediately, calling it