The Last Tenant

undings of my life. Upon two or three occasions lately she had reproached me for not being sufficiently lofty in my social views, and although the

I made no inquiries as to the precise nature of this injury, but waited for her

r modest pleasures, without exciting the envy of friends and acquaintances. Such a competence was mine; such pleasures were mine. Secure from storms and unnecessary worries--by which I mean worries self-inflicted by fidgety persons, or persons discontented with their lot--I should have been quite satisfied to remain all my life in our cozy ten-roomed house, which we had inhabited for twenty years, and in which we had been as comfortable as reasonable beings can expect to be in life. Not so my wife, the best of creatures in her way, but lately (as I subseq

particular to do

particular,

coming with me to s

The murd

houses!"

nothing of its impropriety--for a lady, unaccompanied, to wander through a number of

on end. It would not be prudent. But what necessity

w we must move; you know that it is impossibl

y n

And the house in

Maria. There is nothing w

rything the m

you sa

o sa

s any sense in him. I am a fairly sensible man, and experience has taught me some useful lesson

ll of inconvenie

long time finding

ago, but I have borne

egg, and requested her to name the in

d. "We want

I said, "and it

't fit

a that there was

be, Edward, I wish you would recognize tha

s the

talk as if we w

o me. Proceed with

nts, my

our w

ozy study, where yo

moke anywhere. Don't forget that I am fifty

is never too

the point

eping to it! I hav

in my study, instead of sitting and chatting together,

od servants," sh

do with the inconven

ally cook. They sleep in the attic, you kno

s. Go where you will, you hear the s

can see wha

A

dinner party we give we must have the dinner cooked out. Think what a trouble it will be,

ht is hear

ou are. I am not blaming yo

rate. Is your catalog

keep in it for the damp. Then there's the bath. Every time I turn the hot water tap I am frightened out

ne. "Give me two minutes to compos

ast, I emptied my breakfa

to move,"

ibility of our remaining w

we will not argue; I ben

ted. "Must not a woman have a m

red, Maria. Have you any

ot wish you to have the bother of it, so I took it all on myself. And here are the orders to view the houses

houses are the

ty-th

dder. "And you ha

ust be careful they don't get mixed

propose to go over the w

. With what I have and what I am promised I dare say it

and weeks," I s

how we hunted and hunted

y of buying a traveling caravan, and living in it. Well, Maria, I confess I don

You are the best man in the worl

y dear. When

ready in h

er into housekeeping for the first time. I could not but admire her courage. Her bag was stuffed with keys,