He had never been in the habit of confiding his business affairs to her, and so, if he had investments of any kind, she could not learn anything about them.

She found herself, therefore, with no property except a small cottage, worth, with its quarter acre of land, perhaps fifteen hundred dollars.

As Ben was too small to earn anything, she had been compelled to raise about seven hundred dollars on mortgage, which by this time had been expended for living.

Now, Ben was earning four dollars a week, and, with her own earnings, she was able to make both ends meet without further encroachments upon her scanty property; but the mortgage was a source of anxiety to her, especially as it was held by Squire Davenport, a lawyer of considerable means, who was not overscrupulous about the methods by which he strove to increase his hoards.

Should he at any time take it into his head to foreclose, there was no one to whom Mrs.
Barclay could apply to assume the mortgage, and she was likely to be compelled to sacrifice her home.