it for a wrong, not meditated, but accomplished, that his conscience now exacted tribute from his rigid manhood?
Madame Lefrette was a strong-minded woman, and was not cast down by the intelligence of her sudden reduction to poverty. She was not a masculine woman, however—one of those double-gendered animals, who, having over-ridden and disregarded all the proprieties of their station, and being, notwithstanding their hybrid nature, dimly conscious of the falsehood of their position—like the fox, who sought to have every body else's tail cut off because he had lost his own—now seek to make deformity a law, and hide their own disgrace, by degrading the whole sex; but a woman of true womanly instinets, whom affliction braced to fortitude, who recognized the Christian duty of endurance, and despised all weak repining. She calmly surveyed her position, estimated its inconveniences, accepted its necessities, and formed her resolution.
"We must leave this house immediately, Marie," said she, "and surrender it to the creditors."
"Had we not better wait," suggested Marie, "until Mr. Beman's return?"
"And be thrust out by process of law? Oh! no! And beside, I am sure it will discharge a larger debt if given up quietly, than if yielded only to vexatious litigation. We are very poor, it seems; but this must not make us dishonest."
Marie thought her mother was taking rather higher ground than the circumstances required. She was a woman; and, like all her sex, regarded dishonesty more as meanness than immorality; so that, in endeavoring to avoid it, she approached generosity more nearly than justice. Her daughter made no remark, however; and, on the following day, their preparations were begun for leaving the roof which had sheltered them for so many years. Before the end of the week the house was closed, and the mother and daughter were occupying a single small room in the modest residence of Madame Dupley—a widowed sister of the late M. Lefrette. The plump little figure of this lady was but the type of a heart well preserved; and, though like her sister-in-law, she had been left in poverty by the death of her husband, kindness and content remained. She bustled round so
