UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 109 



my abode in London, in so different a style from 

 that in which I had always appeared there. 

 Vanity and pride survive all the other passions 

 and my country life had rather increased than 

 subdued them. However, though painful to me 

 to return to London, I determined to do so, if 

 my wife approved ; and I left all to her decision ; 

 I knew she did not love the country, and I an- 

 ticipated that her sentence would be some hard- 

 working office for the rest of my life. 



<c But I little knew the soundness of my wife's 

 judgment, and her generous forgetfulness of self. 

 Her decision was soon made ; * In our circum- 

 tances,' she said, * and for our children's sake, a 

 laborious country life will be vastly preferable to 

 the confined, and not less laborious, situation of a 

 clerk, or some such thing in town ; we can more 

 easily submit to deprivations, and shall be better 

 able to support and assist each other's toils.' I 

 reminded her that she disliked the country * Oh,' 

 said she, ' think no more of those fancies ; it is 

 on ourselves alone, and not on the gratifications of 

 either town or country that our happiness must 

 now depend. Let us take a small farm let us 

 be really farmers. You will be able to apply the 

 agricultural knowledge you have acquired ; and 

 I will not neglect my part. Our children must 

 be bred up usefully they will not be accom- 

 plished but what does that signify ? they will 



VOL. I. L 



