Our Gentleman Boarder 



for he was very much attached to the young 

 fellow ; and as for Mary, she was a queen 

 of girls to him, and deserved all the happi- 

 ness in the world. Like a child, too, he 

 ignored all the difficulties of the situation, 

 the wide difference in social position, and 

 Mary's lack of money, and said simply, 

 when Mother thrummed restlessly on this 

 string of poverty, " But they'll never be 

 poor, will they? His father's a very rich 

 old gentleman, and there's enough for them 

 all, I should say, for all she can't bring any 

 money bags to the marriage ;" for which my 

 mother laughed at him soundly. 



" I should have thought you might have 

 seen by this time," she said, shaking her 

 head shrewdly, " that it's money bags that 

 marry money bags ; it's only your labourer 

 with his nine shillings a week that can 

 afford to marry a penniless maid." 



The difficulty of the difference of social 

 position he grasped somewhat more easily. 



"I see, I see," he said, slowly; "that 

 does look like an awkward bit of road, 

 because you see Mary is not that kind of 

 girl that wouldn't like us to come and see 

 her now and again ; nor she isn't one to be 

 content unless she could ask us into the 

 best parlour, is she ? " 



My Mother was really in painful per- 



T24 



