MR. HAMILTON BURGESS was a man of limited means, but having marrieda beautiful and amiable woman, he resolved to spare no expense insurrounding her with comforts, and in supporting her, as he said,"like a lady."
"My dear Ammy," said Mrs. Burgess, to her indulgent husband, about ayear after their marriage--"My dear Ammy"--this was the name shecalled him by at home--" you are too kind to me, altogether. Youare unwilling that I should work, or do anything towards oursupport, when I actually think that a little exertion on my partwould not only serve to lighten your expenses, but be quite as goodfor my health and spirits as the occupations to which my time is nowdevoted."
"Oh, you industrious little bee!" exclaimed Mr. Burgess, "you havegreat notions of making yourself useful, I declare! But, Lizzie, Ishall never consent to your propositions. I did not marry you tomake you my slave. When you gave me this dear hand, I resolved thatit should never be soiled and made rough by labour--and it nevershall, as long as I am able to attend to my business."
Mrs. Burgess would not have done anything to displease her husbandfor the world, and she accordingly allowed him to have his waywithout offering farther remonstrance.
But Hamilton's business was dull, and it required the greatestexertion on his part, and the severest application, to raisesufficient money to meet the daily expenses of his family.
"My affairs will be in a better state next year," he said tohimself, "and I must manage to struggle through this dull seasonsome way or another. I will venture to run in debt a little, Ithink; for any way is preferable to reducing our householdexpenditures, which are by no means extravagant. At all events,Lizzie must not know what my circumstances are, for she would insistupon a change in our style of living, and revive the subject ofdoing something towards our support."
Mr. Burgess then ventured to run in debt a little; he did notattempt to reduce the expenses of his housekeeping; he never gavehis wife a hint respecting the true state of his business matters,but insisted upon her accepting, as usual, a liberal allowance offunds to meet her private expenses.
Lizzie seemed quite happy in her ignorance of her husband'scircumstances, never spoke again of assisting to support theestablishment, but seemed to devote herself to the pursuit of quietpleasures, and to procuring Hamilton's happiness. But Mr. Burgess'scircumstances, instead of improving, grew continually worse. Hisventure of "running in debt a little," resulted in running in debt agreat deal. Thus the second year of his married life passed, and thedark shadows of disappointed hope and the traces of corroding carebegan to change the aspect of his brow.
One day a friend said to Hamilton--
"I am surprised at your conduct! Here you are, making a slave ofyourself, while your wife is playing the lady. She is not to blame;it is you. She would gladly do something for her own support, ifyou would permit her; and it would be better for her and for you.Remember the true saying--
'Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do!'"
"What do you mean?" demanded Hamilton, reddening.
"I mean that, generally speaking, young wives of an ardenttemperament, when left to themselves, with nothing but theirpleasures to occupy their minds, are apt to forget their husbands,and find enjoyment in such society as he might not altogetherapprove."
"Sir, you do not know my wife," exclaimed Hamilton. "She, thankHeaven, is not one of those."
"I hope not," was the quiet reply.
Although Hamilton Burgess had not a jealous nature, and would neverhave entertained unjust suspicions of his wife, these words of hisfriend set him to thinking. He remembered that Lizzie was alwayshappy, however he might be oppressed with cares; and now he wonderedhow it was that she could be so unmindful of everything exceptpleasure, while he was so constantly harassed. The consistent Mr.Hamilton Burgess undoubtedly forgot that he had taken the utmostpains to conceal his circumstances from his wife.
It was in this state of mind that Mr. Burgess one day left hisbusiness, and went home unexpectedly. It was at an hour when Lizzieleast thought of seeing him, and on this occasion she appearedconsiderably embarrassed; nor did Mr. Burgess fail to observe thatshe was very tardy in making her appearance in the sitting-room.
On another occasion, Mr. Burgess returned home under similarcircumstances, and going directly to his wife's room, found, to hisastonishment, that he could not gain admittance. After some delay,however, during which Hamilton heard footsteps hurrying to and frowithin, and whispering, Mrs. Burgess opened the door, and, blushingvery red, attempted to apologize for not admitting him before.
"Who was with you?" demanded Hamilton.
"With me?" cried Lizzie, much confused.
"Yes, madam. I heard whispering, and I am sure somebody just passedthrough that side door."
"Oh, that was nobody but Margaret!" exclaimed Mrs. Burgess, hastily.
Hamilton could ill conceal his vexation; but he did not intimate tohis wife that he suspected her of equivocation, nor did she see fitto attempt a full exposition of the matter.
Nothing was said of this incident afterwards; but for many weeks itoccupied Hamilton's mind. All this time he was harassed with caresof business, and his brow became more darkly shrouded in gloom ashis perplexities thickened. At last the crisis came! Mr. Burgess sawthe utter impossibility of longer continuing his almost profitlesstrade, under heavy expenses, which not only absorbed his smallcapital, but actually plunged him into debt. But one honest coursewas left for him to pursue; and he resolved to close up his affairs,and sell off what stock he had to pay his debts.
It was at this time that Mr. Burgess saw in its true light the errorof which he had been guilty, in opposing his wife's desire toeconomize, and devote a portion of her time to useful occupation.
"Had I allowed her to lighten our expenses in this way," thought he,"I might not have been driven to such extremities. And what has beenthe result of my folly? Why, I have kept her ignorant of our povertyuntil the very last, and now the sudden intelligence that we arebeggars, will well nigh kill her!"
Satisfied of the danger, if not the impossibility, of keeping thesecret longer from his wife, Mr. Burgess went home one day, resolvedto break the intelligence to her without hesitation. Entering thehouse with his latch-key, he went directly to Lizzie's room, whichhe entered unceremoniously. To his surprise, he found on the table agentleman's cap, of that peculiar fashion which he had seen worn bypostmen and dandies about town. Anxious for an explanation, helooked around for his wife; but Lizzie was not in the room. Thenhearing voices in another part of the house, he left the room by adifferent door from that by which he had entered, and hastened tothe parlour, where he expected to find Mrs. Burgess in company withthe owner of that cap. To his surprise, he found the parlourvacant, and meeting Margaret in the hall a moment after, heimpatiently demanded his wife.
"She is in the room, sir," said the domestic.
Without saying a word, Hamilton again hastened to Lizzie's room,where he found her reading a late magazine with affectedindifference!
"Madam," cried he, angrily, "what does this mean? Here I have beenchasing you all over the house, without being able to catch you.What company have you just dismissed?"
"What company?" asked Lizzie.
"Yes, madam, what company?"
"Do not speak so angrily, dear Ammy. Why are you so impatient?"
"Because I wish to know what gentleman has been favouring you withsuch a confidential visit!"
Hamilton remembered other occasions when, on his coming homeunexpectedly, his wife had shown signs of embarrassment; and, addedto this, her present equivocation rendered him violently jealous.She appeared to shrink from him in fear, and became alternately redand pale, as she answered--
"There has been no gentleman here to see me!"
"No one?"
"No one, dear Ammy!"
Mr. Burgess was on the point of demanding to know who was the ownerof the cap which he had seen on his wife's table, and which had nowmysteriously disappeared; but emotion checked him, and he paced thefloor in silence.
"This is too much!" he muttered, at length, in the bitterness of hisheart. "I could endure poverty, without uttering a complaint formyself; I could endure anything but this!"
"Why, Ammy, what is the matter?" cried Mrs. Burgess, in alarm.
"Nothing--only we are beggars!" answered Hamilton, abruptly.
"Have you been unfortunate?" calmly asked his wife, affectionatelytaking him by the arm.
"Yes--the most unfortunate of men! I am ruined--we arebeggars--but"--
"Dear Ammy, you must not let this cast you down. Business failuresfrequently happen, but they ought never to destroy domestichappiness. Come, how bad off are we? Are we really beggars?"
"My creditors will take everything," answered Hamilton, gloomily.
"They will not take us from each other," said Lizzie.
Mr. Burgess looked at his young wife with a bitter smile.
"Are you such a deceiver?" he muttered through his teeth. "Can youtalk thus when you have just dismissed a lover?"
"Sir!" cried Mrs. Burgess, a glow of indignation lighting her fairface. "What do you mean?"
"Don't deny what I say!" replied Hamilton. "You were having aninterview with a gentleman when I came in."
Lizzie trembled with indignation.
"I saw his cap on the table!"
Lizzie laughed outright. "Come here," she said, leading her husbandaway.
Hamilton followed her, and she went to a bureau, unlocked a deepdrawer, and opening it, called her husband's attention to itscontents.
It was half full of caps!
Hamilton looked at Lizzie in perplexity. Lizzie looked at Hamilton,and smiled.
"I suppose that you will now declare that there are twenty gentlemenin the house," said Mrs. Burgess.
"Lizzie!"' cried her husband, clasping her hands, "I am alreadyashamed of my suspicions. I ask your forgiveness. But explain thismatter to me. I am dying in perplexity."
"Well", replied Lizzie, archly, "I made those caps."
"You!"
"Certainly; that is, I and Margaret. I kept my work a secret fromyou, because you were opposed to my exerting myself, and althoughyou have come near surprising me more than once, I have carried onmy treasonable designs pretty successfully until to-day."
"But, dear Lizzie, how could you?"
"I can answer that question. I saw pretty clearly into your businessaffairs, and I knew that we could not live in this style long. So Ithought I would disobey you. My cousin George, the hat manufacturer,seconded my designs, and privately sent me caps to make, nearly ayear ago."
Hamilton opened his eyes in astonishment.
"Surprising, isn't it? But this isn't all. You insisted on mykeeping Margaret, when I might just as well have done my houseworkmyself; I thought I would make her useful, and made her help me workon the caps. Besides, you were not satisfied if I neglected to useall the spending money you allowed me, and I pretended to use that,just to please you. Now, before you scold me for my disobedience,witness the results of my industry and economy."
Lizzie opened her desk, and displayed to Hamilton's bewilderedsight, a pile of gold which filled him with greater astonishmentthan anything else.
"There," continued Lizzie, without allowing him to speak--"there arethree hundred dollars. Of course, this little sum wouldn't makeanybody rich, but I hope it will convince you that a wife's economyand industry are not to be despised."
"Lizzie! dear Lizzie!"
"Oh, this is nothing--only a sample of what I can do. Come, now,acknowledge your error, and say that I may have my own way infuture."
Hamilton replied by clasping his wife in his arms.
"There, say nothing more about it," she continued. "Don't think ofyour misfortunes, but remember that we can be happy even if we bothhave to work hard. Poverty cannot crush us; and I hope I havealready convinced you that work will not make me lose attraction inyour sight."
The young husband's heart overflowed with gratitude and joy.
"How have I misunderstood you, dear Lizzie!" he exclaimed. "You areworth more to me than southern riches; and now that I know povertycannot crush you my mind is at ease. Lizzie, I am so happy!"
"And I may have my way?"
"Yes, always."
"Remember this!" cried Mrs. Burgess, archly.
With a lighter heart than he had felt for many months before,Hamilton went about the settlement of his business affairs, whileLizzie devoted herself to perfecting a new system of housekeeping.
When Mr. Burgess came home at night, he was surprised at thewonderful change which had taken place during his absence.
"Don't scold," said his wife, regarding him with a smile; "you saidI might have my way."
"True--but what have you done?"
"I have been making arrangements to let half the house to Mr.Smith's family, who will move in next week. They are pleasantpeople, and as we had twice as much room as we actually needed, Ithought it best to take them. Then again, we shan't need so muchfurniture, and if you like, you can sell Mr. Smith some of what wehave, at a fair price."
Mr. Burgess neither frowned nor looked displeased, nor did he everafterwards oppose his wife's designs. He soon found his expenses soreduced, that, with the fruits of his wife's industry added to hisown, they were able to live quite comfortably and happily; and,although he soon became engaged in more profitable business, henever again urged her to indulge in the folly of "living like alady."