The Argosy — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

122 On and Off. many a battle over the Turner. But he was a good deal puzzled at finding that suggestions about keeping this or that little knickknack to adorn their own future quarters fell flat; Ada went on steadily pack- ing up everything for sale, and would not be drawn into any talk about what was to come next. Her husband wondered what on earth she was up to, but thought he might as well let her alone until the legacy was paid, and it was necessary to decide something. His own reflections were often the reverse of cheerful. They had some money in hand, and Ada’s legacy would soon be coming in, as Mrs. Lifford’s affairs were simple, and her executor prompt. But it was only a plank between them and that sea of poverty which is so salt on the lips and so heavy on the limbs of those who carry weight. Wilfrid had not yet felt its actual touch, but he dreaded the cold plunge. Ada, he owned to himself, was the difficulty. If he were alone, he could go as a ship’s doctor, try his luck at the diggings, or turn army surgeon. ‘There was no reason why /e should not be jolly enough ; but to drag a wife about the world, and see her growing shabby and sickly and spiritless ! “What a fool I have been!” thought Wilfrid, dolefully. ‘‘ But I’m in for it now, and I’ve got to stick toit. I fancy the army is the least altogether intolerable chance, but with a wife it will be just genteel starvation. And if I must have the starvation, I’d rather of the two have it cold without. The gentility, which is supposed to be the sweetener, seems to me just the one thing wanting to make every step down worse than the catastrophe itself.” Matters came to a point at last. The carpets dolefully cumbered the ground which once they covered, in huge bales that seemed to be always in the way ; the ottomans had donned canvas surtouts; and the chairs had lost their sociable individuality, and stood in rank, or stacked up one on the other, waiting for the van that was to swallow them up. The Chesneys sat by the fire in one of the two rooms they used, which alone remained comparatively habitable, and then at last Ada opened her mouth. “Tm horribly tired, but I think I’ve done a good day’s work.” ‘‘ Rather,” responded her husband. ‘Only about enough to kill two strong men, and most of it totally unnecessary.” ‘Because you want me to leave everything to the servants, and a nice mess they would have made of it. In the end you will always find it is twice as much trouble not to see to things yourself.” ‘Oh, no doubt. Only I think that when you have told a woman twice what she is to do, it is more satisfactory to pitch into her for not doing it than to stand over her and see it done. But if you like that way of amusing yourself, my dear, do it by all means.” “ Amusing myself!” echoed Ada, with high disdain. ‘“ But it is not worth while to argue about that, we have more important things to talk about.” “Well, I think so myself. I don’t know that I have gone to the GEomicbooks.co m