"'She fully expected,' said the mother, 'to get a trifle that was due her from a young man who boards with Mrs. Corwin; and she went to see him this evening. But he put her off with some excuse. How strange that any one should be so thoughtless as to withhold from the poor their hard-earned pittance! It is but a small sum, at best, that the toiling seamstress or washerwoman can gain by her wearying labor. That, at least, should be promptly paid. To withhold it an hour is to do, in many cases, a great wrong.' "For some minutes after this was said, there ensued a dead silence. I felt that the thoughts of all were turned upon me as the one who had withheld from poor Mrs. Blake the trifling sum due her for washing. What my feelings were, it is impossible for me to describe; and difficult for any one, never himself placed in so unpleasant a position, to imagine. "My relief was great when the conversation flowed on again, and in another channel; for I then perceived that suspicion did not rest upon me. You may be sure that Mrs. Blake had her money before ten o'clock on the next day, and that I never again fell into the error of neglecting, for a single week, my poor washerwoman." "Such a confession from you, Mr. Smith, of all men," said I, feeling a little uncomfortable, that he should have told this story of himself. "We are none of us perfect," he answered, "He is best, who, conscious of natural defects and evils, strives against, and overcomes them." CHAPTER XXVIII. MY BORROWING NEIGHBOR. "I THINK, my dear," said I to my husband one day, "that we shall have to move from here." "Why so?" asked Mr. Smith, in surprise. "It is a very comfortable house. I am certain we will not get another as desirable at the same rent." "I don't know that we will. But--" Just as I said this, my cook opened the door of the room where we were sitting and said-- "Mrs. Jordon, ma'am, wants to borrow half a pound of butter. She says, they are entirely out, and their butter-man won't come before to-morrow." "Very well, Bridget, let her have it." The cook retired. "Why do you wish to move, Jane?" asked my husband, as the girl closed the door. "Cook's visit was quite apropos," I replied. "It is on account of the 'half pound of butter,' 'cup of sugar,' and 'pan of flour' nuisance." "I don't exactly comprehend you, Jane," said my husband. "It is to get rid of a borrowing neighbor. The fact is, Mrs. Jordon is almost too much for me. I like to be accommodating; it gives me pleasure to oblige my neighbors; I am ready to give any reasonable obedience to the Scripture injunction--_from him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away_; but Mrs. Jordon goes beyond all reason." "Still, if she is punctual in returning what she gets, I don't know that you ought to let it annoy you a great deal."