Page:Live and Let Live.djvu/69

 before restrained, now gushed forth, and, like dew from heaven, brought forth fruit. "Here, take this dollar," said Broadson, for once indulging in the luxury of a spontaneous kindness, "and buy something for our Jemmie—but mind, say nothing to Mrs. Broadson about this or the pay either."

"No sir—but I wish you would tell her yourself."

"For what, in the name of wonder?"

"Maybe she would do right herself next time."

"Ah," muttered Broadson between his teeth, and smothering a laugh, "it's hard teaching an old dog new tricks."

Mrs. Broadson would not have changed Lucy for Judy if she could have helped it; but, after Bridget's warning, she was aware that was the only alternative if she would retain Bridget, and Bridget was too profitable a person to lose. An actual fraud like that by which Mrs. Broadson would have deprived Lucy of her earnings is, we are sure, not common in domestic diplomacy. But where such power by common law exists, abuses will prevail more or less. We have on the best authority one instance much worse than that which has been selected to illustrate the evil. A certain lady in this city was in the habit of picking a quarrel with her servants within the first month, in order to force them (to use the phrase of our Eastern friends) "to take up their connexions," and thereby avail herself of the common law, which exempted her from paying them. The servants submitted, because submission was easier than redress. Our servants are, for the most part, strangers in the land; they have no powerful friends to interpose