"Humph!" said Mr. Howard "gunpowder is pretty quiet stuff, so long as it keeps cool."
The next day another matter happened to disturb Ellen.
Margaret had received an elegant pair of ear-rings as a
Christmas present, and was showing them for the admiration of
her young friends. Ellen's did not satisfy her.
"Ain't they splendid?" said she. "Tell the truth, now, Ellen Montgomery, wouldn't you give a great deal if somebody would send you such a pair?"
"They are very pretty," said Ellen, "but I don't think I care much for such things I would rather have the money."
"Oh, you avaricious! Mr. Marshman!" cried Margaret, as the old gentleman was just then passing through the room "here's Ellen Montgomery says she'd rather have money than anything else for her present."
He did not seem to hear her, and went out without making any reply.
"Oh, Margaret!" said Ellen, shocked and distressed "how could you! how could you! What will Mr. Marshman think?"
Margaret answered she didn't care what he thought. Ellen could only hope he had not heard.
But a day or two after, when neither Ellen nor her friends were present, Mr. Marshman asked who it was that had told him Ellen Montgomery would like money better than anything else for her New Year's present.
"It was I, Sir," said Margaret.