The Soldier's Wife — page 176: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE SOLDIER'S WIFE, I have a few shillings in my purse, besides a trifle to receive for work. Altogether,” added Lucy, ‘‘we can command about seven pounds.” “Seven pounds!” ejaculated her husband: “is that all? Why, we had sixty when you came from Calais!” “T know it, Frederick,” responded Lucy, ina movruful tone: but instantly brightening up, she exclaimed with a forced smile of cheerful- ness, “There is ample for our wants. I have but a week’s rent to pay for the room, and no debts. Freddy and I can go outside the coach; and after all these expenses, we shall yet have money—ample indeed—to settle us at Mid- dleton until I can procure work there.” * But how is it possible we could have spent so much?” demanded our hero. ‘*Why the money seems to have slipped away hke water: and yet you have earne. sixteen or eighteen shillings a week. Why lon’t you answer, Lucy? Come, tell me. You kept the purse— and you ought to know how all the money has one.” ‘‘My dear husband,” she said, with difficulty keeping back her tears, “I have noted down every farthing of our expenditure—there is a regular account ui ‘Well, then,” interrupted Frederick petulant- ly, ‘‘just iet me have a look at it; for I really can’t understand it!” and he spoke in a harsher manner than ever he had done before. Lucey opened another compartment of her desk, and drew forth a little account-book, wi.erein the financial entries were all duly made m her own neat hand-writing—that pretty writing which her husbanc had once been wont to admire. He took the book somewhat rudely from her hand; and at the moment a tear drop- ed upon the cover. To wipe it away with her *kerchief was the work of an instant; and then ghe swept that ’kerchief across her eyes. ‘Come, come, Lucy—this is foolish—this is foolish,” said her husband, softened by her grief. “I didn’t mean to say anything harsh; only I thought it odd that so much money should have gone—for heaven knows where we are to get any more!” “Do not trouble yourself upon that head, dearest Frederick,” his wife hastily rejoined. “I can work at Middleton as well as in Man- chester:” and she endeavoured to smile through the tears which were still glistening in her eyes. Our hero sat down and began to examine the account book. It was not that he mistrusted Lucy in the management of their finances, but it was because he was really at a loss to conjec- ture how the money had gone—and he had be- come too callous to her feelings to recollect that it might wound her thus to investigate the items ef the expenditure. Nor did he continue that investigation long: for the frequent recurrence of different sums of money put down to him- self, startled him with the fact that it was he wlio had made such inroads upon their store. 155 ‘What a lot of money,” he said, “has gone for suppers—it is positively awful!” “| am sorry you should make this remark, Frederick—because they were provided to con- duce to your comfort:”’—and again had Lucy the utmost difficulty in keeping back an out- burst of anguish; for her husband’s words struck her as being unkind almost to cruelty. ‘Well, Iam sorry you should have got such things for me—I didn’t want them—and I am sure I never asked for them. ‘They were here —and so I partook of them: but I couldn’t have thought for a moment that they would have run away with the mouey in this manner. Why, what the deuce ails you now? How fool- ish you are <liis evening.” The altlicted wife was sobbing with convul- sive anguish; and the little boy, seeing that his mother wept, began to cry also, saying, ‘Pray, papa, don’t scold dear mamma.” “ Nonsense, Fred—hold your tongue!” said Lonsdale. ‘‘Come, Luey—I didnt mean to annoy you. There—take the book; I have done with it:’”—and as he tossed it down upon the table, he added, ‘‘I am sure if J had known that it would have produced this scene, I would not have asked to look at it at all.” ‘“ Hrederick, dearest Frederick,” cried Lucy, in an imploring tone, ‘I beseech you not to speak thus harshly to me. I can endure any- thing but that! Heaven knows I have worked hard—oh! so very hard, to make up the de ficiencies caused by our expenditure; but I could not do impossibilities, I can assure you, dear Frederick, that myself and the child have lived off the humplest fare, in respect to thoge meals which we have taken alone. But if you require that money which we have let, pray take it—a few shillings will suffice for Freddy and me—Besides, there are my trinkets u ‘““And there is my watch, too,” added Lons- dale. ‘ But all I want is just one of these:”-— and he took up a sovereign. ‘You can keev the rest: but pray be economical, dear Lucy. For as [I said just now, when our money is gone and those things are parted with’—mean- ing the jewelry—‘'l am sure I do not know where we are to get any more. And now when will you start? to-morrow or next day?” ‘““You tell me, dear Frederick,” answered the wife, meekly aud entreatingly, “that your regi- ment will not march for three days: would it not be better for us to remain here during the interval ?. for we have a week’s rent to pay-—” “Oh! I think you had much better go to- morrow—or at least next day,” interrupted her husband: because then you will be sure to be all settled at Middleton by the time I get there.’ ‘To-morrow if you wish it,” observed Lucy, asa thought struck her. ‘‘Shall you be able to pass this evening with us? as we shall per- haps start early to-morrow, before you can leave the barracks,” “T would if I could, dear Lucy,” replied Nevertheless, he did observe also that the cost | Lonsdale, now adopting a kinder tone and de- for those delicacies which had been served up at the evening repasts was likewise great: and being thrown into an ill-humor by the conscious- ness of his own extravagance, he could not help venting it somewhat upon his pocr wife. meanour towards his wife, who displayed such readiness to do everything he suggested: “but the Colonel has given orders for us all to be im barracks atsix o’clock to begin our preparauons for departure—aund it is new. mora; than halt (GO)