UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 157 



it seemed such a waste of time to work at them 

 myself. They were beautiful, so was my boy ; 

 and so proud was I of him, that I was profuse 

 in my generosity to all his attendants. I deter- 

 mined to nurse him, and to attend him night and 

 day ; and so completely was I engrossed by this 

 new occupation, that I quite neglected Mr. P., 

 whose inseparable companion I had been till 

 then. 



When I was so much away from him, he had 

 more leisure to perceive the irregularity of the 

 house. And when he went out and mixed with 

 others, he could not help feeling the want of 

 comfort at home. Still he could not bear to 

 think that I was in the wrong. 



In two years came another fine little boy, and 

 with him fresh expenses. I just then began to 

 feel that money was not always to be had ; 

 long accounts for dress, and fanciful furniture, 

 for new books and scientific journals, for plants, 

 shells, and mineralogical specimens, and a variety 

 of other things equally necessary, came crowding 

 in ; and when I asked for money, there was none 

 at command. My husband thought that I had 

 paid for all these articles when I received them ; 

 and our ordinary expenses had already absorbed 

 our income. With a blind confidence that al- 

 most amounted to weakness, he had trusted to 

 my prudence, and made no inquiries into the 

 household management : perhaps, he too had 



