"  An  ahominahle  husiness  —  perfectly  horrible  !  "  she  ex-
claimed, as  she  entered  the  room  where  St.  Clare  lay  reading  his
paper.
"  Pray,  what  iniquity  has  turned  up  now  ?  "  said  he.
"  What  now  ?  why,  those  folks  have  whipped  Prue  to  death !  "
Baid  Miss  Ophelia,  going  on,  with  great  strength  of  detail,  into
the  story,  and  enlarging  on  its  most  shocking  particulars.
"  I  thought  it  would  come  to  that,  some  time,''  said  St.  Clare,
going  on  with  his  paper.
"  Thought  so  !  —  an't  you  going  to  do  anjrthing  about  it  ?  "
said  Miss  OpheUa.  "  Have  n't  you  got  any  selectmen,  or  any-
body, to  interfere  and  look  after  such  matters  ?  "

"  It 's  commonly  supposed  that  the  propeHy  interest  is  a  suffi-
cient guard  in  these  cases.  If  people  choose  to  ruin  their  own
possessions,  I  don't  know  what 's  to  be  done.  It  seems  the  poor
creature  was  a  thief  and  a  drunkard  ,•  and  so  there  won't  be
much  hope  to  get  up  sympathy  for  her."

"  It  is  perfectly  outrageous,  —  it  is  horrid,  Augustine  !  It
will  certainly  bring  down  vengeance  upon  you."

"  My  dear  cousin,  I  did  n't  do  it,  and  I  can't  help  it ;  I  would,
if  I  could.  If  low-minded,  brutal  people  will  act  like  themselves,
what  am  I  to  do  ?  They  have  absolute  control ;  they  are  irre-
sponsible despots.  There  would  be  no  use  in  interfering  ;  there
is  no  law  that  amounts  to  anything  practically,  for  such  a  case.
The  best  we  can  do  is  to  shut  our  eyes  and  ears,  and  let  it  alone.
