"Why, bless me, Cara! what's the matter?" exclaimed this lady, as she took the hand of Mrs. Ellis. "You look dreadful. Haven't been sick, I hope?" "No, not sick in body," was replied. "Sick in mind. The worst kind of sickness. No serious trouble, I hope?" There was a free, off-hand, yet insinuating manner about Mrs. Claxton, that, while it won the confidence of a certain class of minds, repulsed others. Mrs. Ellis, who had no great skill in reading character, belonged to the former class; and Mrs. Claxton was, therefore as just said, a particular friend, and in a certain sense a confidante. "The old trouble," replied Mrs. Ellis to the closing question of her friend. "With your husband?" "Yes. He pinches me in money matters so closely, and grumbles so eternally at what he calls my extravagance, that I'm out of all patience. Last evening, just as I was about telling him that he must give me new parlour carpets, he, divining, I verily believe, my thoughts, cut off every thing, by saying, in a voice as solemn as the grave--'Cara, I would like to have a little plain talk with you about my affairs.' I flared right up. I couldn't have helped it, if I'd died for it the next minute." "Well; what then?" "Oh! the old story. Of course he got angry, and went off like a streak of lightning. I cried half the evening, and then went to bed. I don't know how late it was when he came home. This morning, when I got up, he was sleeping as heavy as a log. It was near ten o'clock when I heard him moving about in our chamber, but I did not go in. He had got himself into a huff, and I was determined to let him get himself out of it. Just as I supposed he would come into the nursery, where I was sitting with the children, awaiting his lordship's pleasure to appear for breakfast, he opens the door into the passage, and walks himself off." "Without his breakfast?" "Yes, indeed. And I've seen nothing of him since." "That's bad," said the friend. "A little tiff now and then is all well enough in its place. But this is too serious." "So I feel it. Yet what am I to do?" "You will have to manage better than this." "Manage?" "Yes. I never have scenes of this kind with my husband." "He's not so close with you as Henry is with me. He isn't so mean, if I must speak plainly, in money matters." "Well, I don't know about that. He isn't perfect by many degrees. One of his faults, from the beginning, has been a disposition to dole out my allowance of money with a very sparing hand. I bore this for some years, but it fretted me; and was the source of occasional misunderstandings that were very unpleasant." Mrs. Claxton paused. "Well; what remedy did you apply?" asked Mrs. Ellis. "A very simple one. I took what he was pleased to give me, and if it didn't hold out, I bought what I needed, and had the bills sent in to the store." "Capital!" exclaimed Mrs. Ellis. "Just what I have been thinking of. And it worked well?" "To a charm."