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it he went on as if talking to himself but it did no good indeed the first i knew of of miss was by seeing her their marriage bond photograph on his desk he told me her name and said her family lived near his home but nothing further i renewed the subject more than once but made no progress he had plenty of other pictures there women as well as men friends relations all the usual there was nothing to show that he held this one in special regard but the speaker drew a long breath as if he were getting tired i have heard me you mention and i think very likely they are true mr remarked with that in that case mr must be a very happy man messrs and silently indicated that he expressed their own conviction mr looks in wretched health to night doesn t he said mr almost his father and if you watch him you will see how earnestly and anxiously he in that direction all the members of the group followed the suggestion and soon had proof that it was true i wish you would present me to said mr a moment later to mr you will excuse us he added to the others when mr responded that he would do so with pleasure finding that the new acquaintances entered at once into a lively conversation soon left them together and strolled about the house speaking to many persons whom he knew and going almost everywhere in fact except toward the spot where mrs and miss were he paused to hear a sing two pieces which were received with general applause he talked politics for some minutes with a party of men who seemed to have an aversion to feminine society or perhaps it was the feminine part of the gathering that did their marriage bond not care for them so going from one set to another and always finding himself welcome he came gradually to the chair occupied by the senior mr and finding another sat down to have a chat with that gentleman a delightful party he said but then mrs always to have that mr nodded assent she does indeed said he my illness prevents my enjoying these things however as you younger people do i would go home even at this hour except that i feel it a duty to remain the have been my neighbors for twenty years you know and one owes much to appearances his eyes wandered back to the place where mrs and were standing don t you think she looks remarkably well this evening he asked abruptly mr started our hostess yes i had noticed it he answered the elder gave an impatient shrug to his shoulders and at a that followed the motion no no he exclaimed she shines like a star of the first magnitude among all the girls around her oh said himself yes looks very well a glance of suppressed indignation came from the old gentleman there s nothing prettier in all the land he said sharply nor sweeter nor better i have watched her grow from an infant to this day and no flower ever came from shoot to stem from bud to blossom with greater their marriage bond loveliness what a happy man he will be who that flower for his own there was a fascination about the subject that he had determined not to discuss miss with any one again that evening but the opportunity that he could not resist had come to him is is there any one in particular who has that prospect he inquired carelessly looking toward the farther end of the room where a lady was about to play a selection on a piano mr s face brightened for the instant his pains were forgotten and he looked happy i may as well tell you he said in a low tone though you had best not talk with him about it i would rather you did not it has been understood for years between her mother and me when the right time comes she is to be my daughter in law wondered if any of the would notice a strangeness in has countenance to conceal his feelings on most occasions he knew that a close inspection of his face at this moment would excite remark ah he replied i had heard of that possibility so it is arranged mr his chair nearer perhaps i am he said but you are an old friend a much liked friend of my son i ask you again not to speak of this to him unless he first the matter to you i cannot truly say that everything is finally arranged but it to the same thing her mother is satisfied i am satisfied they are eminently fitted for each other they have been close friends from neither has ever expressed a fondness for any other person of the opposite sex it is coming their marriage bond around all right they are young there is no great haste i only wish here mr grew very serious to see them united before i die it became incumbent on mr to remark that the disagreeable day would undoubtedly be very long in coming he had not noticed he said that mr seemed any worse than he had been for a long time and was about to mention instances where people of his acquaintance had long their expectation when his companion interrupted i indulge in no fancies on that score he said the doctors give me three years at the most i am quite content my are too numerous to make this world worth clinging to i want to see settled happily married to this beautiful girl and then i will take the summons without complaint mr bowed with as was fitting and rose with the remark that he noticed a friend to whom he wished to speak his

friend must have been a of the vault for he went immediately out upon the and walked up and down with his eyes turned toward the stars he stayed so long that who was in search of him came out and found him there isn t it time for us to go asked we must either get this train to the city or wait till all right was the answer i m ready where s is he going too he s with said he says the last train will do for him together the gentlemen went to bid good night to their hostess with the usual courteous expressions miss in a word or two sweetly her mother s hope that she would see them both at her next their marriage bond took her hand in parting but the ceremony and bowed low instead good night he said as they passed that gentleman no we ve our train to catch and there s no time for he added hastening by their marriage bond ii strokes the mrs had done her part fully in relation to the marriage which she meant should take place between mr and her daughter she had talked of it as a settled affair to the girl from the time was thirteen years of age she had the child as to what her conduct must be under every imaginable situation toward their neighbor s son and she had found an apt pupil no ship was ever better under the guidance of a had never felt the least symptom of the complaint called love for she had fancied that it would be nice to have an establishment of her own some time and much better to have a fine looking gentleman at the head of it than to live an old maid with and cats she liked men in the the pleasant kind of men one is apt it meet in society if her mother had chosen any one of a dozen others whom she knew and said to her this is the individual i have selected for your husband she would have lowered her eyes and answered tes mamma with equal contentment and though he had seen her frequently the managing parents had left them a good deal alone had never spoken a word to her that indicated particular affection the reason for this is easy to give he had no more love for her than she had for him he had never been especially attracted toward any person of the op their marriage bond sex though he was fond of the company of girls and not at all he wanted to please his father as she wanted to please her mother he knew from frequent expressions on the part of his only living parent that in his mind he was as good as engaged to it seemed an inevitable thing and while at the time of the evening party referred to in the preceding chapter he had no intention of the paternal will he wished the date of his wedding postponed as long as possible he was not insensible to the attractions of miss he could not be and have the full use of his senses he had never had his attention called to a more specimen of the female race physically she was very near perfection mentally she was above the average she had paid due attention to the best of teachers and had a good education believed that if it were not for the fact that his prior claim was generally she would have plenty of for her hand if he was compelled to marry it might as well be to her as another perhaps he often thought he might have fallen in love with her of his own accord if things had not been so terribly cut and dried there was no sense in paying addresses to a girl who had been marked and for him ever since she was in short when the time came she would be handed over and he would have to accept her as if she were a monument or a set of engrossed resolutions there was nothing to stir the of youth in such a affair was already in business he had chosen that path in life in preference to any of the professions and was the junior partner in a and coffee im their marriage bond house where he was admitted to have talents and to be of value to the concern he was the only child of his father and there existed much affection between them the elder had always obedience and the son had always rendered it there had been nothing up to the time of which i am writing to cause the least between them to get established well in business and to see him married to the girl of his the father s choice these were the of edward s life and when they should be accomplished as he had told he was willing to meet the messenger of death several weeks after the party at mrs s was asked to make a foreign journey in the interest of his firm the first one he had ever undertaken when he came home to announce to his father that he had been selected for this mission his face flushed with pride i think it a great compliment said he when there are two other partners older than i who have never had the chance to go and besides i have always longed to see europe and they have agreed to give me ample opportunity i am to go first to london to attend to a little business there then to holland where i have things to settle with the dutch colony people and on my way from there to the east i am to be allowed a fair amount of time to see the cities and other objects of interest en route mr says

have been such friends it is undoubtedly for the best yes we must look at it that way went slowly down the steps for he had already opened the door when his future mother in law appeared will you be kind enough to see that it is put in the papers he asked i will attend to it ihe replied then she added i trust this will meet with the entire approval of your father oh yes he will it fully i know by what lie has already said must you go die asked sweetly their marriage bond yes it is necessary i have an appointment lifted his hat to the ladies and walked rapidly toward the village when he was out of hearing mrs had a hurried conversation with her daughter all that had occurred was to her and he didn t offer to kiss you nothing of that land said the mother no mrs patted on the head the who was waiting anxiously for her to start on her ride that he might have a run with the horses he is a very regular young man was the slow comment he will be a very safe husband for you he s no fly away when does he desire the wedding to be he said he would talk it over with you to tell the truth mamma i don t think he would mind if it never occurred at all let us see said the lady the this is december he will return by may probably about september that is the time i will see that he to this as we begin on your the carriage came to the door and mrs entered it while went slowly up the stairs softly the she still held in her their marriage bond chapter iii you know my wishes during the time that before his date of sailing and indulged in none of the pretty arts known as love making their engagement seemed in fact to make their conversation more distant than formerly it was as if some trouble had come between them something that must be regarded too seriously for called several times a week and passed an hour or so in the company of his she came once with her mother to his father s house and dined with them at table the affairs of the young couple were alluded to in a way and the date which mrs had fixed for the wedding was brought up without exciting a protest from those interested kingdom did not see any way to escape the net that was being woven about him and he thought it wisest to assent to the plans that best satisfied his invalid father he had no doubt that he would have to marry this girl borne time the elder people had arranged everything thus far why not let them finish it there was the foreign journey in between at any rate that would give him a breathing spell and a chance to think by his parent s presence he was like a man in a great crowd pushed along without his own edward bore the pain of parting with his son very well now that they understood each other there nothing to fear if he should die before their marriage bond returned thought the father the announced engagement would make everything right was an honorable young man who would not break his word his future was safe the business talents of his son had already been recognized the selection of a wife had been made a girl not only beautiful and good but possessed of something handsome in the way of expectations an item not to be despised in these days when dollars and cents count for so much the between and his future wife were courteous if not tender they had a genuine esteem for each other both considered their future condition as absolutely settled they were to live in the of relations for perhaps half a century nobody could say beginning eight months hence how fond they would learn to be of each other time alone would tell he fancied that was already a victim of a passion which she could not show too plainly while he kept himself so much aloof she on her part considered him one whose affection for a wife would be a matter of slow but constant growth and was willing to risk that i suppose you cannot tell exactly when you will return she said it depends on the way your business turns out doesn t it yes he replied but they think at the office that i can finish everything so as to get here by the latest before june st perhaps a month sooner and he found himself counting mentally july is two august is three september less than four months after i come home i shall have to go to live with this girl then she asked him again for they had the matter several times where he expected to make his their marriage bond stops he detailed his route as well a he could and talked of the things he expected to see when his was all packed for the new york evening train he walked over for his final call and spent an hour in saying nothing special i shall have to go he said at last consulting his watch it takes time you know at the station for checking and buying tickets then my dear old will have a lot to say at the last minute so good bye he held out his hand just as he used to do except with a little more reserve and took it pressed it and let it go as if it were that of any ordinary friend as for an embrace the thought of it never even entered his mind let me call mamma said him an instant mr is obliged to hasten she exclaimed as

that lady made her appearance she had never called him mr before in her life except in the presence of and he noticed the expression good bye said mrs descending the stairs and giving him a warm clasp of the fingers she would not give him any dignity titles not she we shall think of you and look for frequent letters i wish you would cable when you land in england there is always a peril of the sea and we shall feel better to hear from you direct i shall cable to father he answered and i will tell him to send you immediate word i shall be safe enough good bye mrs good bye if i wait any longer i shall lose my train the two ladies watched him across the path in the snow that was always well beaten between his their marriage bond home and theirs and when he had disappeared from view they re entered the house and conversed for the next hour upon the situation the preparations for the bride s attire entered into the talk to a large degree for to mrs brace s mind eight months was none too long a period to devote to this important subject he is all right commented the widow in a satisfied way as she noted a slight cloud on her daughter s brow i d put my trust in that kind of man sooner than in one of those fellows who protest their every moment he is the kind that will wear well you won t have to fear that some other woman is going to him the minute he gets out of sight a widow of middle age is supposed to be a shrewd judge of the opposite sex whether mrs an this description will appear later in these pages her assurance certainly pleased for she rewarded her for it with a most filial kiss and smiled into her face the parting between and his father was a most affecting one although the parent suppressed his tenderest sentiments lest he should inflict pain by being too knew well that the separation was full of distress to him he resolved that he would cut his journey shorter than he had intended and made a remark to that effect but mr responded that this was what he particularly wished him not to do it is your first trip abroad he said and it ought to be of great value to you i only wish i were well enough to go for i am familiar with most of the countries through which you will pass and could be of value in pointing out the places of chief interest take your time my dear boy since your partners are willing you should do so on your next journey you will i hope be their marriage bond able to take your wife and that will add immensely to your pleasures it is well said that happiness was born a twin the rightly constituted man is always happier when he has some one to share his delights with him bowed for he did not feel that his enthusiasm on this matter was great enough to vent itself in words and if anything should happen to me during your absence added the father pausing to place his hand on his side where a sudden had caught him you know my wishes let them be sacred to you there was a night ride to new york a trip across the city and before noon the great ocean steamer had begun her journey on the deep felt the of the who has this sensation for the first time he witnessed the good of the crowds on the dock the beautiful of land and water he felt the force of the waves under him the gentle jar of the machinery the breezes coming cold and refreshing up the bay he wandered from side to side of the steamer catching the most interesting of the sights presented when he responded to the lunch call he found the immense dining saloon filled for the season was not the most popular one for going east and yet fuller than he ever saw it again until the s cut the muddy waters of the lunch over he walked the deck getting acquainted with several of his fellow passengers after the manner of they were to be companions for six days and formal were out of the question in most cases it was simply my name is jones here is my card and mine is and the exchange of a for the one received their marriage bond of course in a world as small as this numerous mutual friends were discovered in the midst of conversation knew john s johnson the lawyer who occupied a of rooms opposite jones brother and jones was related by marriage to gray who married miss of a second cousin of s the of the cigar which most americans away from home was brought into only the most of men can fail to enjoy the society of his fellow passengers on an atlantic or any other steamer in the world where there are people whose language he understands was during the week that followed from anything more than slight of and kept his feet on all occasions he enjoyed the trip from start to finish and was really sorry when the lighter came alongside and conveyed him to the dock at liverpool it is unnecessary for the purposes of this story to follow his movements closely across great britain and the continent suffice it to say that he had his eyes open and visited as many points of interest as his stay would allow in due time he took his steamer for the islands where his business affairs led him reached his port safely the affairs on which he had come with signal success and started on his return to europe extremely well satisfied

with the result of his journey among his fellow passengers on the return was an english army captain named rivers and his young daughter a girl of about twenty years of age captain rivers had seen foreign service in many countries and was now making his way home by slow stages being in a very low condition of health his real purpose their marriage bond was to reach england in time to be buried beneath its sod for he had a passionate love for the land of his birth though nearly all his life had been spent in doing her service abroad became well acquainted with both of them and learned to like them well he passed much of his time on the steamer in conversation with captain whose stories of army experiences entertained him greatly he also walked for long stretches of time with miss margaret her father being unable to the decks except for a very brief period and then quite slowly the captain was not yet fifty and in a healthy country would probably have been now in the prime of life he was paying the penalty of and a diet that was never made for northern it seemed unlikely that he would live another year and he himself was fully aware of his condition he talked freely with the burden of his speech being regret at having to leave margaret without adequate protection he had never been able to save anything out of his pay and she would have to depend on the good offices of some distant relations or her own efforts tears came to the eyes of the gallant soldier as he these things to the sympathetic ears of the american who did not to offer much consolation in such a very delicate case margaret rivers was a good specimen of the wholesome english girl not what could be called a beauty but with an honesty and simplicity of countenance that won immediate regard she was more slender than the type to which she belonged for we learn to associate with the british maiden who is apt to have a figure their marriage bond after that of and to carry the english rose in both of her full cheeks margaret had spent much of her life in the east which had reduced her natural weight and lent a to her face that did not belong there of right she was of medium height with very dark hair and eyes that matched it neither however being black her attire was very plain partly perhaps from necessity partly from choice a sweet trusting and girl this is what mr decided that she was before he had known her an hour people get to be very confidential aboard ship especially when as in this case they become attracted toward each other to the of all the other passengers had occasion to know that many of the english officers that one meets abroad resemble the of a retired on half pay the of their lives have too frequently their dispositions and made them anything but agree able companions captain rivers had the natural courtesy of his disposition through all the fact that he was of irish blood on his mother s side may have had something to do with this he thanked the american many times for the interest the latter showed in margaret and was pleased at the intimacy that developed between them it s a pity he said that the young should be in their movements by the of their elders i like to have margaret walk with her own free step instead of dragging at a s pace at my side i can see that she is looking brighter and better in every way since you took her in charge the couple talked of a thousand things in those long walks she of life in the indies and in cape colony he their marriage bond of things american in which she was deeply interested she had formed ideas of our country of the most magnificent description and had wished very much she could be permitted to see it at some time that however she said with a sad smile she would now never be able to do told her of his father of his business of almost everything in short except miss and his engagement to her he put that out of his mind as much as he could and thought it the last subject to discuss in the presence of this interesting little woman going and coming to the islands mr was obliged naturally to pass through the canal on the outward trip he repressed his desire to get a glimpse of the wonders of egypt feeling that he ought to attend to the business of his firm before taking any more time for his own pleasure before returning however he received a letter him to for this very purpose and spend a week or two at least in the land of the captain rivers continued so ill that mr made him promise to break his journey when they should arrive at and rest over a steamer with him knowing that the financial question was a powerful one with his new friend he showed him a list of at in his where for a very slight board and room could be obtained he also feeling that this would be of great influence upon the father spoke of the value to margaret of seeing the and the the result was that the captain agreed to the proposal to the delight of his daughter who wanted to go ashore for the double reason of resting from her journey and of being a little longer in the society of mr whom she had begun to like exceedingly their marriage bond but it had been that the english officer was never to see the shores of egypt with his mortal eyes the night before arrival mr was aroused

that he also had never had brother or sister and it gave a sort of excuse for the kiss which he pressed on their marriage bond her forehead pushing back her hair for the purpose she continued to hold one of his hands and the sensation was not disagreeable but after a little while a sense of the came over him and he made an excuse to leave her for the present as he was crossing the hall he met one of the servants who handed him some letters that had just arrived one of them was from his father and this he read first i am feeling much better of late and perhaps i shall yet live for years i think it is on account of my pleasure at your prospects which is the nearest thing to my heart i have seen a member of your firm who says you have made a marked success on your trip then i receive a call daily from mrs or when the latest condition of the forms the main subject of conversation just think how near it is september ah you are a lucky young dog with such a bride in store so young so pretty so good and a thing not to be despised an to a comfortable fortune i need not caution you to be most in your conduct the remainder of your journey for a clean record is the best present a man can bring to his wife temptations must fail before the prospect of this superb creature in your arms such a short time away says you have written but seldom but i tell her some of the letters may have been lost you have moved about so much write a little oftener to both of us but if there is time for only one write to she will come over and tell me she has heard from you and i shall know you are well and safe felt a of conscience as he read the loving words he had not written to his father as often as he ought since since especially the date of his meeting with captain rivers and his daughter to their marriage bond he had written not more than twice a month and he had done little then beside telling of the scenes he had passed through much after the manner of a newspaper correspondent not once had he given way to an expression of affection nor had he alluded in the remotest degree to their engagement or approaching marriage in her answers she had made no reference to these things either but it was not to be expected she would do so when he had so avoided the subject resolved that he would write more frequently in accordance with his father s request both to him and to the news of his parent s improved health gave him great delight and he reflected with pleasure on the to the time when they would again look each other in the face as soon as he had written and his replies to the firm and to his father mr escorted miss rivers to the train which already bore the body of the dead soldier and they set out for the funeral took place on the day after their arrival the hot weather in that country making impossible the simple military service was read the salute fired by the and the soil of egypt began its work miss rivers bore the strain better than he could have expected she leaned upon him in everything not only did she commit to his care the disposition of her father but of herself she put her slender purse in his hand with the utmost confidence saying that he would find the least expensive route for her to take in the tickets for england believing that a diversion was the best thing for her he began on the second day after the funeral to take her with him in his drives about together they saw their marriage bond the wonderful works of long extinct men which have made this vicinity the for of all lands together they strolled through the ancient the and the beautiful new quarter fringed by the old laid out like a piece of paris itself their conversation during these days was held in a low key and those who met them realized that some recent misfortune tempered their steps it was undoubtedly better to divert the mind of the young girl than to permit her to bury herself in her grief to margaret the of her escort was an of surpassing power after studying all the ways that might take one to england mr out a route that would include and there was no reason on the part of miss for haste and he wanted very much to visit both of these on his way home the to on some of the smaller lines were much lower than those which sailed direct for there connecting with the across the continent of europe though the latter were by far more he explained the difference to margaret who answered that she would leave it entirely to him if he was going in the same direction she added with charming she would certainly prefer that route by all means there was no need to spend a long time at the port from which the start for would be made a couple of days would suffice for all the sights at that point so the intervening time was passed at which above all places holds the attention of the as long as his good fortune him to remain the endless display in the their marriage bond him the donkey drivers and their beasts the bearing and burdens the stately the veiled women the from all parts of the world in their native the like at the magnificent hotels both of the young people with whom we have particularly to

deal would have been glad to stay here a month longer although the last of march had arrived and the temperature was steadily growing warmer at they stopped at the hotel where they had the best meal they had enjoyed for months the steamer on which they were to sail was the a boat that had seen better days but was still upon going aboard mr had a moment of heart sinking at the of the arrangements for passengers but miss rivers who had a great deal said she was sure they would do very well and he suppressed the that rose to his lips a struck the ship soon after getting into the open sea and continued with force for most of the five days which the voyage consumed margaret was as good a sailor as the master himself captain who seemed to prefer the deck to the cabin even in the worst of weather she had not a single but mr was obliged to lie in his berth or on the sofa in the smoking room for several of the most days the girl tended him and he was hardly sorry for his condition when it brought him so much kind attention from a companion he was learning to prize so highly he was certainly glad however when the great walls of the fortress of broke on his vision and set foot on shore with as good a will as he remembered to have felt on any occasion their marriage bond quarters were secured at one of the hotels and the couple set out to view the island famous for its relics of the knights of it had a hundred interesting things to visit both in and out of the capital city of in the evening they strolled up to the little park by the where the sweet peace of nature sits in strange contrast to the deadly preparations for war on every side there were cannon to right of them cannon to left of them cannon behind them and the silver sea in front it was plain that nothing but treachery could this iron jewel from the british crown it could be secured only by such methods as in the case of and in these days that is practically impossible beneath these guns a hundred might rest secure to possess is to control the thought of all these things and yet at this time he cared little for them in his brain there had lodged the of an idea quite with anything naval or military until lately he had taken it for granted that his acquaintance with miss rivers must end in a fortnight at the farthest now he began to against such a fate and to say to himself that he could not would not endure it when does our boat go she asked after one of their long there are two boats he said one leaves to morrow morning at a very early hour i did not think you would care to go on that especially as i need a little longer rest after my attack of de and the next one it will be something like a week i thought perhaps you would be willing to remain a little longer rather than leave me here alone their marriage bond willing she echoed it is exactly what i should prefer to stay with you to the very latest mi the tears from her eyes and answering drops filled his own then you don t feel tired yet of my company he suggested in a low tone she bit her lips and stifled the sobs that came to her chest she shook her head decidedly margaret he said clasping her shoulders with his arms i wish we were never to part it was an open of what had been in his mind for days but when he knew the words were uttered he was alarmed at the sound and his feelings were not lessened in that respect when she turned and buried her face against his my darling were his next words this is a very cruel world sit down here and let me talk to you it can do no harm to hear a little of the truth unpleasant as the facts may be she obeyed without and sat looking at him as if he were a judge who had her fate in his hands as indeed he was i want you to forgive me in advance he pleaded if anything i say gives you a part of the pain it gives me to tell it i am sure she answered warmly that you are the soul of honor he was not and her confident words cut him deeply you shall decide he said when i have finished i am engaged to be married she drew away from him as if a sword had pierced her side and started to rise but he held her down not he said listen till i have finished otherwise the good opinion you have formed of me marriage bond be ruined and there will be no pity for me in your heart she gave up the struggle and turning her face in an opposite direction waited for him to proceed when i was a child too young to be told of it my father arranged my marriage the little girl who was growing up for me had a mother who was equally determined that the match should take place between this girl and me there has never been the slightest of love from that day to this i have seen her frequently we have been simply friends no more my father has been for a long time in a condition of health which makes excitement dangerous he cannot bear the least opposition without flying into a temper that might easily be fatal before i came from home he insisted that i should make a formal proposal of marriage a

shiver ran across the young form by his side and the hand he placed upon her arm was firmly pushed away a formal proposal he continued after a momentary pause i had never known what the feeling of love was i believed myself incapable of that sentiment i did not want to marry any one and but for my filial duty i never would have done so with any person i had then met but i had tried to be a dutiful son to a father whom i adored and who has had for years no one to care for but me i did as he requested i went through the to his great satisfaction before i left home on my present voyage i had promised to marry this young lady next september but listen one moment longer margaret i never shall marry her now if i live a million years miss faced about and gazed with eyes at the speaker their marriage bond you will break your word she cried reproachfully i did not think that of you mr my word he repeated would you you tell me to link my life to one for whom i have no affection when there is another who holds my fullest and truest love would you she stopped him in his impetuous declaration rising and standing at his side one moment she said sharply whom do you mean who is it that you love like this my darling he answered in the same strain but she stopped him again you refer to me most earnestly and sincerely yes then i must ask you to bring your confession i should say your recital to a close he stared like one drunken then you do not care for me at all he ejaculated you have no right to ask me you have treated me as a friend until now as a very sincere one but to tell me of your engagement to another and in the next breath to say you love me that is a very near approach to insult against this he protested with all his might refusing in spite of her urging to be silent to tell you the truth is to lose your esteem i see he said in conclusion you may still retain that if this matter is allowed to end here she replied if you persist in saying anything more to me that i do not wish to hear i shall bid you good bye he was still for some seconds and when he spoke it was desperately like one who has received a blow their marriage bond you shall not say good bye to me he faltered until your boat or mine bears us out of the sight of each other if you insist i will say nothing more in relation to you but let me repeat that i shall never marry the lady to whom a mistaken sense of duty made me give my promise i will refuse to two lives hers and mine i know now what is to i mean that i can conceive no greater than to wed where i cannot love to join my life to one woman when my heart my very soul is margaret you are too hard i cannot defend myself when i am in my phrases he waited hoping for some of her command however slight but she did not speak it may seem to you that i am wrong he said but if you had promised to wed a man and found that all your love had been stirred into life by another can you conceive anything worse than to enter upon a life of falsehood merely because of a promise made in an hour she stood before him with an expression of sympathy and grief written on her countenance i am no she answered i only know that promises of marriage are meant to be kept i understand the pain of which you speak for i too have had all my love stirred into life and yet i would not take one who belonged to another though my loss hurried me as perhaps it may to the grave margaret he cried springing to his feet not another word i pray you she protested i have borne all i can if you are the friend i believe you let me go for the present i wish to lie down i must have rest bowing profoundly and with a strange mixture of sensations in his brain mr walked from her room their marriage bond chapter y then i must live single kingdom walked up and down in his chamber for hours turning the matter over in his mind he had never met a girl he liked so well never one for whose close acquaintance he cared she had said almost in so many words that all her love had been stirred into life by him was her sentiment of his duty to to wreck the ideal life that might come to him and to margaret she was unreasonable in the high estimate she put upon such an engagement as his no he would not let her destroy his hopes and wreck her own life into the bargain he would save her from herself if there was any way to accomplish it and there was a way there must be one with so much at stake his head was very hot he bathed it from the that stood in his room he brushed his hair carefully and looked at his reflection in the glass he saw the countenance the heavy eyelids the set mouth and beyond it all he saw the features of the woman he adored he would not let her force him into a course so hateful unless her will was stronger than his miss rivers kept to her room the whole of the evening and he strolled up and down the steep streets and in and

out of the military club to which he had been introduced by his before going to bed he smoked innumerable cigars and read a lot their marriage bond of old newspapers until he knew their contents by heart during the night he awoke a dozen times and when he slept his dreams were filled with visions of margaret always trying to escape him hut each time before she quite succeeded in getting away he was hanging about the hotel when to his surprise and joy a waiter came to say that miss wished him to call on her as soon as he could find it convenient not pausing a second he ran upstairs three steps at a time to her apartment and answered her come in without a moment s delay before he could speak a word she exhibited a letter she had just received and began to talk about it i wish in the first place she said to beg your pardon for troubling you with more of my affairs but i have no one else now here or perhaps elsewhere she paused and he saw that something agitated her extremely something he rightly conceived that must be contained in that letter i hope i need not say he answered that i am now and always at your entire service oh but this is beyond your power or any one s t remedy cried margaret with a sob in her voice that she was trying her best to choke down i i cannot tell it to you read it for yourself she thrust the into his hands and rising went to another part of the room where she threw herself in a burst of tears upon a sofa much distressed at her attitude but by the she had placed upon him yesterday he refrained from following her and began to read the letter that had caused the trouble first he the envelope which had an english stamp and bore a post their marriage bond mark indicating that it was in a town in my dear niece it ran your letter informing us of your father s severe illness and the probability of his early has filled us with deep regret i wish it were possible for me to invite you to visit us or to make your home here should you be left an orphan but such is not the case my daughter s husband has recently died and she with her three children are now living entirely at my charge the house is literally full and my purse is feeling the severity of the drain as well i gather from s letters that he is near the end and have tried to think of some way to aid you but it is impossible my advice is for you to go straight to london and seek employment you must not be too particular do the best you can and when you are settled write me again sends love your affectionate aunt the words of this were before the eyes of the reader as he realized what a pang they must have given to that slender sobbing figure but with this thought came another that caused his heart to swell in this desperate position might not margaret a little in her attitude toward him you were so severe last night he began that i hardly know what i may be allowed to say she roused herself and presented her wet face for his inspection do not allude to that i beg she said this letter makes me sufficiently miserable without recalling the pain that conversation gave me but i am left perfectly helpless he protested to offer you any assistance or advice unless you indicate that i shall not receive another dismissal before i can explain myself i told you last night how dear you were their marriage bond to me don t speak i am not trying to repeat it but only to remind you where i stand you have refused to listen to the proposal of marriage i was about to make or to anything that our future beyond the next few days i would like to help you in a pecuniary way if you will permit me beyond that i see nothing that it is in my power to do she heard him with a trembling of the lips and a going and coming of the color in her cheek oh if you could comprehend she cried what a true friend i think you and how impossible it is that i should take a penny of yours which it is unlikely i could ever return that note of my aunt she is an aunt by marriage only leaves me a beggar i have money enough to reach her home and i had hoped that through her influence i might be placed in some position where i could at least earn my bread that expectation is at an end all that is left for me is to go as she to london and seek in that immense city a chance to a crust from a million others as perhaps more so than i i wish i could keep from telling you this it breaks my heart to parade my poverty but there is no one else in all the world to whom i can speak and i must myself or die he told her she was quite right to confide her trouble to him and that she might rely upon his sympathy and consideration to the fullest extent he could not see however why she should object to a gift of money which he could spare as well as not and which it was very evident she would need can t you can t you understand that she asked earnestly not even when i have confessed that i love you with all my soul i could go to the strangers in this hotel perhaps to the passengers on

the steamer that their marriage bond takes me to england and tell them my story with an appeal for help but not to yon i would rather starve here in than accept anything from your generous hand can t you understand that can t you she repeated gazing at him with parted lips i must admit that i cannot he responded here is the situation as it appears to me i have a certain sum of money which i can spare you through no fault of your own are in need of it what is wanted is the simple exchange of that sum from my pocket to yours she rose took a few steps across the room and sat down in a chair near the window but this money she said you would not give to every who might be in my situation you offer it solely because of your unusual affection for me is it not so his answer was delivered in a tone which showed his impatience though he tried hard to conceal it i do not know in what school you were reared he said but your points are more intricate than any i ever before heard if a friend who cares very much for you is not to be permitted to render assistance who is should you persist in maintaining this attitude you will add a deeper pain to the one you gave me yesterday and possibly live to repent it i was reared in a school she answered that taught me to avoid everything which strikes a direct blow to my pride and my sense of justice if i was sure to return this money to you i would accept it as a loan with many thanks but i see no way in which i can do so in all the sky there is no ray of sunlight for me i have been educated in a manner that will spoil me for a servant my father s income while small has enabled us to live my manners are not sufficient their marriage bond ly humble for a lady s maid or even a of children should i be lucky enough to draw so grand a prize in the of london life if i take your money i shall merely spend it in trying to for a few weeks an existence which has lost its charm his position was a difficult one he could not put his arm about her now as he had done when her father died and press a kiss of friendship on her forehead she had withdrawn from all that i have even been thinking she continued after a pause that it is useless for me to leave this place my means will last longer if i remain and the chance of employment in some one s kitchen is as good here as elsewhere he told her she distressed him intensely by these statements and again pressed upon her the of accepting a loan or a gift from him he professed to believe that her prospect of it was as good as that of the average but he did not convince her there is another thing i would suggest he said when the right opportunity seemed to have arrived if i were sure you would consider it in its true light in the firm of which i am a partner there are several girls always employed at writing and keeping accounts if you will go to america i will you a permanent place with a salary three times as large as you could expect in england the same that is paid to others of your intelligence and capacity he explained as he saw her doubting expression to advance you the price of the voyage is nothing more than has been done in such cases a hundred times a mere business affair if you refuse this i shall not know what to think of you she listened with the utmost attention and then declined the offer without delay their marriage bond unreasonable as it may seem to you i refuse she said but i will be perfectly fair and give the cause in your office i should perpetually be brought in contact with you should see you at least passing in and out of the place i should see your wife perhaps and by and by your children no mr i have not strength enough to bear it because you love me he asked because i love you she said with i am willing to say so as often as you wish there is no wrong to your in doing this so that i hold fast to my determination not to cheat her out of her rights i have to think she continued of what i should suffer if i were engaged to you and she came between us to my mind it is worse for a man to his vows than his marriage ones there are for wives but none for i think of that young lady with her wedding gowns partly made the congratulations of friends constantly arriving the sweet dreams of with the future to rob her of her bliss would be worse than murder and if i were to accompany you to america in your present state of mind you would persist in your rash resolution to break that girl s heart hoping that i should after all it is only by separating yourself from me entirely losing my address having me vanish utterly from your knowledge that you will find it possible to go to the altar in september according to your solemn promise was amazed at the of her declaration she admitted her love for him as freely as if it were not outside of all forgive me if i inform you once more said he whether you leave me or not i will their marriage bond she shook her head to show that he must not

finish the sentence if you said that a thousand times it would not change me then i am to live a single life always he said no you are to act the part of an honest man and carry out your obligations she was very intense the strongest hope and belief that she would do as she said shone in her eyes so help me heaven he began do not finish it she cried you can do few for me now and i plead for this one he had never seen any one so decided and was puzzled what course to adopt what else can i do for you he asked desperately i do not know yet she replied hesitatingly i will try to tell you to morrow then she asked him if he could take a walk with her without alluding to any of the subjects they had been discussing he promised eagerly and they strolled where everybody in along the their marriage bond chapter vi the dangers of london there was nothing in the personal appearance of miss rivers to indicate the extremity of her fortunes she wore the plain mourning which she had for her father she remained at a good hotel the story which she had told to mr of the letter from her english aunt was unknown to any one else in there was staying in the house an army officer and his wife col and mrs and margaret had held several talks with the lady on the evening following her walk with she sought mrs with a definite purpose in view the colonel s wife had been in london had passed much of her life in that city she ought to be able to impart information of the kind that margaret most needed she found mrs alone her husband hav ing gone to the club and at once spoke of the subject nearest her heart i have just heard of a case in which i am much interested began margaret about which i want your advice i have a young friend who has been left by misfortune and who is now in the southern part of europe uncertain what move it is best to make she has been advised to go to london and seek employment she is fairly well educated and has been reared like any other young lady of the middle class she could teach children or perhaps assist if nothing else offered in the care of a house she has not a single acquaintance in the their marriage bond w city but thinks her prospects there better than in a foreign country it is a desperate case with your knowledge of london what do you advise me to write her mrs looked deeply interested how old is your friend she asked about my age is she good looking margaret slightly so she replied lowering her eyes and of course she is with the world if that is what you mean she has never had any responsibility outside of her own home the lady shook her head slowly it is a sad thing to say miss rivers but the chances are all against the success of your friend i mean to tell you the truth if she were a farmer s daughter with sturdy limbs and a capacity for hard work she might get a place in a shop a kitchen or a factory if she were b teacher there would be a possible chance in a school though all of these lines are fearfully but being what you describe her the encouragement is small indeed london is a great it out both wheat and i am ashamed to say it but the most probable result of your friend s going there without protection is starvation or a moral catastrophe margaret looked up with frightened eyes you mean she began exactly the tragedy is repeated daily the honest well meaning girl comes to london at first she diligently for such a place as she would like to find in a few days she her ambition and only asks for any honest means of getting her bread her re their marriage bond sources grow slender and hunger begins to seize her the rent of the poor room she has occupied becomes due some evening she is upon the street by a man who has noticed her air he offers warmth to the cold food to the starving stomach there is no alternative but death from which the young spirit even in its she goes with him and from that hour her descent is rapid i do not need to dwell upon it but it makes me say to every such girl keep out of london margaret shivered from crown to toe she imagined herself already at the dire extremity mentioned with the frightful alternative before her own eyes keep out of london that was very well to say but if out of london where then was there any spot on earth where the poor girl of good could find a living i should say to such a girl continued mrs kindly seek your relations however humble they may be put up with a lowly home make your lot with the poorest but never go alone to london find a husband among the or forget that you were ever in a different rank devote yourself to your family as it comes but never never never go to london margaret knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the lady had penetrated her secret and felt that she was addressing the friend whose situation had been un to her the voice of mrs was more than kind it was sympathetic and deeply earnest there surely must be a possibility of a better fate in that immense place murmured margaret yes there is a possibility that the of a ticket will win the capital prize but half a mil their marriage bond lion other only lose

their money listen rivers i knew personally of a girl who went to london and became after many the wife of a noble and honorable man but hear through what she passed in the meantime she tried as hard as any one ever tried to find work at anything she was not particular what one day a finely dressed woman took her from an employment office to her home she was given a pleasant room at the top of the house and fell asleep with a prayer of on her lips that she had found at last the shelter and food she sought an hour later she was awakened to discover that a man was in her chamber and when she uttered a scream he told her that no sound could pass the walls it was one of those traps of which so many abound in london and she was as helpless as a fly in the spider s web the lady paused breathing heavily as if her story brought back a she could hardly endure and you knew this girl you saw her afterward exclaimed the listener ah yes i knew her and still know her well was the reply delivered in a tone of the greatest intensity and you say that after this experience she still found a husband yes after this and twenty more for she was kept a slave in that house for long weeks the bloom fled from her cheeks she could not eat more than enough to keep life in her half her waking hours were passed in tears she lived in constant dread of what each minute would bring forth margaret listened with fascination the story was almost incredible to her young brain but it bore the impress of truth and she did not doubt it their marriage bond how did she escape she asked i will tell you among all the men that visited that house in two months there was just one who learned of this girl s situation into whose heart there came a manly impulse he was an officer of her majesty but that was not it several of the girl s had shown their in the room he had come to the house to while away an evening and the prize on the upper floor was offered him he had no intention of taking advantage of her situation but was resolved to save her from it if she proved the unwilling of the house which she was represented paying the money he was given the key of her chamber when he entered she was sound asleep so exhausted by her fears and trials that she did not hear him the door he knelt by the girl s side and gazed for a long time at her pale and wasted features the colonel s wife could not control her voice as she came to this pathetic part of her story tears rolled down her cheeks and miss could not help weeping with her when many minutes had passed continued mrs when she could speak and the girl did not awaken the tears flowed faster he began to kiss her cheek gently reverently her eyes opened and she saw only one of the sex she had learned to fear and to hate springing up she was about to renew her long continued struggle in a hopeless cause when she heard a soft voice bidding her have no alarm gaining confidence slowly she told her sorrowful story to this man on whose face she soon saw signs of the deepest indignation he found by further questions that she had no friends in london and in their marriage bond deed none on earth to whom she could with confidence appeal do you wish to leave here he asked oh how earnestly she answered if i will take you at once will you go with me said he where to my apartments the alternative was not agreeable but escape from this fearful den was to be accepted at cost have no clothes she stammered will wrap my around you he said and take you in a carriage they will not let us go i will brain any one who tries to stop us afraid to depart not willing to stay she gave a trembling consent there was now no question in margaret s mind that she was listening to a bit of the excitement with which the lady related the history was too pronounced for any other the was wrapped around the girl who had the air of a winter s night to face then the gentleman am i not justified in calling him one rang the bell a masculine servant who answered was pulled inside the room by a firm hand and ordered to do as he should be under penalty of a sound it was now three o clock in the morning and the house was still as death only the man who had answered the bell was on duty to make resistance less likely the officer gave the fellow five sovereigns which he put in his pocket promising obedience taking the girl in his arms she was no heavy burden for his strong frame the gentleman followed the servant down the long stairs the heavy carpets giving forth no sound reaching the door on the street level he gave a last whisper of warning to the man and passed into the street the snow was falling their marriage bond luckily a carriage happened to be passing and he placed his burden inside giving a direction to the driver he followed immediately and the hateful residence where the girl had been was speedily left behind the relief at this stage of the story was plainly shown in the face of the lady relating it again margaret felt sure she was telling a tale of her own experience but the marriage she asked for she could not forget this important matter how

was it brought about i am coming to that said mrs arriving at the gentleman s residence the girl was carried directly to his rooms which were handsomely furnished besides being of a delicious warmth refreshing after the cold night ride the situation was most embarrassing now that the excitement of the escape was over the girl began to feel the shame of her new position but the hero of this story relieved the girl s mind at once i shall have to leave you now he said as there is not room enough for both of us here go to bed without fear the key is on your side of the door and sleep as well as you can till morning when i arise for i shall be in another part of the house i will send you a maid who will take your orders for breakfast later in the morning i will get a to take a list of the clothing you need and have the most important articles provided at once when you are ready to see me i will call again say at six this evening after that your movements shall be for yourself to decide miss rivers hung on each word of the singular narrative before the girl could speak the officer had taken his departure the events on the following day were carried out as he had planned at six o clock he called and their marriage bond was received in a fitting costume which had been hastily fashioned over from a ready made stock with all the politeness imaginable the gentleman asked if he might order a dinner for both sent up and the request was granted to each attempt on the girl s part to utter thanks and they were many he raised a silent but expressive he wished to find what desires she had for the future and to continue to aid her in that direction so far as lay in his power she timidly revealed her situation but for him hopeless without his aid besides though she did not tell him in set phrases she loved him already yes with all the of her young heart to be separated from him was like going to death she could not think of any future in which he did not form a part and yet how could she dream that he the polished army officer would see anything to attract him in the poor girl whose past two months had been filled with a succession of horrible events such as should arouse in the breast of any decent person all that had passed through the mind of the unfortunate woman was again upon her countenance with a delicacy that cannot be described the gentleman met the situation he said to the girl that she could remain where she was until she could think of something more agreeable and to her statement that she had nothing with which to repay the expense of her maintenance he answered that this was a matter that need not trouble her in the least miss shook with a slight attack of she knew as well as if the first person had been used in the recital that mrs was speaking of herself their marriage bond at the end of a few weeks continued the colonel s wife be asked her hand in legal marriage she gave it to him and since that day there has been no happier wedded couple in the world but this was a great exception to a terrible rule had he never seen her she would have been kept a few weeks longer in her prison room and then despairing of any other fate would probably have accepted a place among the painted women who lived below without restraint and gone to the end of the career thus opened go to london tell your girl friend to go to the grave rather col returned at this juncture and margaret made a closer inspection of him than she had hitherto done the whole scene of his meeting with his wife came vividly before her mind s eye she saw him stoop and kiss the face held up to him with the fashion that had been so well described a few minutes later she excused herself and went to her lonely room to london no she not go to london where then it was a dreadful problem and she fell asleep some hours later without it their marriage bond chapter vii his times was a rich young man he had inherited a fortune from his grandfather that had grown rapidly in the hands of honest and during his in the eyes of the world he was a lucky young fellow and one to whom fate had brought only good but if it was very clear that he had no habits that would be called dissipated it was equally certain that he devoted himself to no serious object he did not drink to excess nor nor his money in any manner on the other hand as has been intimated in the first chapter of this he had an attraction toward women that had coupled his name with a number of in and about boston mrs had heard of these things and had taken some pains to inquire about them but had found no proof that mr was guilty in a single instance no direct charge had been brought against him by any woman or her friends the principal thing said was whenever there was a new instance of to be discussed isn t that the woman has been calling on so frequently or you remember her she was with mr in a box party at the boston theatre when was last there mrs had known the family from her she did not mean to put the seal of her on with all that would imply unless was something against him so she con y their marriage

to invite him to her and even to dine with herself and daughter at occasional intervals he was an attractive man to women certainly with his handsome face his polished manner and a certain boyish for his twenty four years he was liked by all of his acquaintances in the presence of mrs he was scrupulous never did he descend in the slightest degree to familiarity although she did everything to make him feel fully at home when alone was in the room his manner changed a little and became one of a sort of devotion still well within the range of courteous propriety there had long been that in his attitude which implied more than ordinary liking and yet the sentiment that seemed to him had never been put into definite words it was believed by most of those who knew him that he was not a marrying man that his attentions to any member of the fair sex were not the to an intended declaration of a desire to wed knew for instance of the popular supposition that and were destined for each other long before the date at which our story opened he was a friend of both parties he made no move to prevent the of the plans concerning them he went about with in the city and at his home and believed in his heart that he was mr s most esteemed masculine friend and yet whenever was alone with there was something in his actions which said as plainly as words i envy that fellow shall never know what it is to perfectly happy again if you carry out this scheme of becoming his wife is a type that will be recognized by all who are familiar with the social life of this generation their bond it is a type that does more harm perhaps than the out whose reputation is and who is yet admitted to the best society and has an opportunity to plant his dangerous seed on the evening of the reception at mrs s to which allusion has been made mr was in a state of mind into which he frequently worked himself he was wildly jealous of his friend on account of the pretty piece of with which the latter s name was constantly allied he regarded from all corners of the rooms in which the reception was held it seemed to him that she was a thousand times more lovely that night than he had ever imagined her he marked the brightness of her eyes the softness of her expression the grace the grace of her pose he followed with greedy eyes the outlines of her superb form which the past few years had constantly rendered more and more he noticed with what discretion and taste she was no woman in the house approaching her in that respect though many had ten times the cost of her clothing upon them several times overcome by his emotion mr wandered to the side of the fair girl and exchanged a word or two with her the feeling that possessed him was made apparent to her quick mind in every tremor of his tones in every of his face he loved her it could make no difference in her life for her husband had been selected from her cradle but she felt deep sympathy for a man whose estimate of her charms was thus plainly she had had occasion before to feel a strange thrill at a stray word from his tongue a random look in his countenance it is in the nature of a young woman to like their marriage bond admiration was too inexperienced to estimate this particular article at its true value she did not know that while allowed himself the supreme luxury of his misery he would not have married her then had the opportunity heen presented to him no he used often to say to himself he was not going to be tied to any woman however much he might like her it was his dearest pleasure to make a woman feel that she had made an impression on his heart that would be and to know that he had made an answering one on hers he had a list of women who blamed themselves for ruin on his life who said in their hearts poor fellow if i had used him better he would be a different man he ought not to be blamed for anything he does since it was his love for me that him there were married women too who used to dream of this pretty boy perhaps at that moment tearing his hair in rage at the happiness of his successful rival their hearts as they thought of the cruelty they had shown to him when as a plain matter of fact a steam engine could never have drawn an offer of legal marriage to one of them but they felt what he wanted them to feel and when he met them their regrets were by veiled allusions to the past or glances arrested just when about to be shot into their bright eyes it was a favorite amusement of this man to visit the frequently after went abroad he generally called first at the house of mr who was very glad to see him as indeed he was almost any friend in the condition in which his and his son s absence left him sometimes their marriage bond took lunch with that gentleman and then strolled over to mrs s at three or four o clock remaining to dinner as he was always to do he had no regular occupation and the usual business hours of men of his age put no on his movements coming from mr edward s the conversation between him and the widow naturally to and in her presence there was no indication of the real reason that accounted for his call he was known to

be an intimate of young mr and one who had the pleasure of frequent letters from him the fact that the wrote less frequently to his and that the letters received by her were much than would have been expected was never mrs had settled it in her own mind that the marriage with her daughter was something that could not be set aside and that time would bring the young couple into the harmonious relations that are supposed to and sometimes do follow that ceremony she had to await the result with patience and being so completely under the influence of her mother the girl was doing very well in this regard but in the absence of her future lord it was agreeable to have so often the society of one whose manners were delightful whose conversation was pleasant and whose admiration for herself was kept within the limits of decorum was so veil known as the particular friend of her engaged lover that his presence in the house or in the walks which they took together in the neighborhood could not excite the faintest criticism in the breast of the most particular among her set several times he came out in the evening and brought with him had divined that miss possessed more than usual interest for the young at their marriage bond was such a very virtuous fellow and so in the presence of women that it was a pleasure to watch him under these circumstances the slightest direct question a color to his pale face that was worth seeing s usual was that of the silent listener and when he was forced to take part in the conversation with as another in it declared to himself many times that it was quite as good as a play to see him one of these evenings found courage to speak of his own accord and to announce that it was his intention to take a business trip to europe the following week now to was only a who managed in some mysterious way to pay his office rent and to live in a desolate pair of rooms in an part of the city it therefore interested him uncommonly to learn that some person thought enough of his abilities to a mission of this kind to his care he the facts out discovering that a of was the principal in the affair and that the matter related to a patent which was being interfered with by a german concern mrs who had had a liking from the first for expressed her congratulations in a charming way remarking that he must feel highly pleased at being elected in a case which was plainly one requiring unusual tact while smiled the same sentiment without opening her pretty mouth oh it s just because i happen to be a bit of a i guess stammered it will be to speak german italian and perhaps spanish and our leading lawyers are seldom equipped with those but where the did yon learn those their marriage bond asked with frankness i never knew that you could do anything of the kind why i spent two years in was the reply and it is almost impossible to live there without acquiring spanish and italian the german i picked up largely by myself together with french we never shall know laughed addressing the ladies the full extent of this man s i am constantly being surprised at something about him i don t think he can have much to learn but a fellow who hides in his rooms or his office and sticks to his books must acquire an awful lot of wisdom in time there was a quiet ripple around the party at this sally and then mrs remarked that it was possible mr might meet mr while away i hardly think it likely but i should be glad to hope so said if i happen to get anywhere in his vicinity i shall certainly go out of my way to meet him the talk here wandered to the road that had taken and the possible by which he would return it was clear to knew more of these things than did either of the ladies and he drew some conclusions from this fact he drew more yet from his observation of the standing which had in the household but not being able to grasp the character of his friend fully his knowledge of social life being limited he understood the situation imperfectly if had definitely the case as it lay in his mind he might have concluded that had offered his hand to at some time in the past and been refused or that he would have done so but for the knowledge that this would be the result as to the conduct of mr there was a mystery that he could not and which he waited patiently for the future to their marriage bond reveal not that he was inquisitive about it but it interested his mind naturally given to weighing evidence and besides in an honorable high minded way that belonged to his nature he was much interested in once or twice he found himself alone with her and although he had a fear of the species called stage fright he kept the knowledge of his alarm from her entirely she could not have comprehended how any man in the world could hold her in awe mr was somewhat older than she and much wiser he was a little odd to be sure and perhaps not much accustomed to the society of women but beyond this no special impression was made on her mind as to thought of him a great deal he managed to make her believe him unhappy and to blame herself in an indefinite way as being the cause he also her sympathies by vague allusions to the absent lover and expressions of dumb wonder that any man who had

the happiness to hold her promise of marriage could let a mere business reason tear him from her side did not say this in so many words it was not his method he only let her know that he felt it that it gave him pain that it passed his comprehension and she thought him very kind and that his of what was his life evinced the most remarkable to his absent friend might have learned to love mr in which case had marriage been the question he would certainly have found to the acquaintance but that she was a good girl who obeyed her mother mrs had settled upon the man her daughter was to wed and the idea of departing from their marriage bond the programme never occurred to tlie younger woman it was rather dull waiting for it be yet when she had achieved him but path was plainly marked out for her the k marriage chapter viii kiss me knowing nothing of what was passing in the mind of margaret rivers went to his sleepless bed that night and tossed for hours he felt the time drawing near when he must either bid a final adieu to the girl he had come to love so dearly or secure her company a little longer by a or direct deceit a day or two was the limit of their close acquaintance unless he could arrange some plan to her the next morning margaret surprised him by saying that she had concluded not to go to england he stared at her for he knew no other course open un less she was to accept his proposal to visit america but he said nothing for in her statement he saw a gleam of light along his own path where was she going then he asked her and she replied as calmly as she could that she was going to where she knew several people with whom intended to make a short stay but after that he asked with clouded brow f you will not stay forever at oh margaret if you would only do the wisest thing and go to america with me she regarded him with piercing eyes and his gaze fell before their fires the wisest thing could he honestly maintain that it was the wisest thing for her to take that long journey with a chance acquaintance met on their marriage bond s with all the risks that it implied still on the other hand what could she do if she remained in europe he tried to argue to himself that the one course was at least as likely to benefit her as the other i will go with you as far as she said gently i will see my friends there and then we will talk about the rest it was at least something he was not to lose her quite as soon as he had feared there would be a few more days for them to be together and perhaps who could say she might change her mind the spirits of the young man rose margaret was going to take another journey with him under his protection she would leave her past life there in and begin an essentially new one on the steamer that sailed toward the west there would be several days in which they would be alone together and in that time he could bring all his influence to bear he accepted her decision with joy and as there was no longer occasion for delay he went at once to the office and bought two tickets for when he returned and she took out her slender purse to repay him he said she had best wait until they were on board remarking that there were other little bills he would have to settle for her like the conveyance of herself and her boxes to the boat he wanted to say something to her cheek a little and indeed his own the of his spirits was tempered by the of the time when he would have to set his face toward the setting sun and breast the waves of the atlantic alone once more among their acquaintances at the hotel mrs was one of the kindest in her expressions when they came to say good bye she drew margaret aside their marriage bond and again warned her against letting her friend go to london seeming much pleased when the girl replied that she should advise her not to go there under any circumstances she asked questions about mr with a look that the liking between the young people was stronger than that of ordinary fellow and although miss shook her head decidedly the colonel s wife murmured a husband like that is what an orphan girl like you needs most don t be foolish my dear child or too backward if such an opportunity comes your way with her head full of matrimonial ideas she also found time to say to what a lovely little lady miss rivers is i congratulate you on making this short voyage with her were i a man and single i would make it a much longer one if i could he wished for the moment that they had another week at for he might have told his story to mrs and her efforts in his behalf but the steamer was about to sail and everything had been sent on board he entered the carriage with his companion and they were driven down the steep street to the an hour later the steamer was headed for the point in spain and he had margaret entirely to himself the three days between the two great naval stations of the british empire in the were passed in the manner by the young couple nothing in the way of further entreaty that margaret should accompany him to the united states passed s lips they said remarkably little to each other in

fact although they were hardly separated during the voyage except in their sleeping hours but one thought was in both their minds they their marriage bond dreaded separation and wished there was some way to prevent it margaret thought also frequently of the tale the colonel s wife had told about the girl who went to london she did not dwell so much on the experiences of the month or two when she was held a prisoner but on the night when her handsome came to her rescue she saw the officer in her mind s eye kneeling by the bedside kissing the cheek so gently that he did not disturb the of the tired girl she saw her wrapped in his folded in his arms and carried and out into the wintry night there was something fascinating in the story to the daughter of captain if all men were like colonel she thought marriage was never as interesting as love certainly not in novels of which margaret had read many nobody cared to tell of the days spent in the harbor after an exciting voyage had finished there were the risks of the sea of course the danger of the waves and storms while the harbor and calm brought safety to every passenger but the freedom the the excitement these belonged to the open ocean mr had not heard the story that proved so interesting to his fair companion but he was trying to one of his own with her as the central figure he did not know very well how to do it he realized that each revolution of the ship s carried them nearer the shore where according to their present plans they must separate what would be the future of each of them when of salt water rolled be for her it their marriage bond could not be very bright for him the outlook was exceedingly dismal i wish you would let me talk about myself a little he broke out on the last evening before they reached about yourself she repeated yes about my unhappy engagement which i have determined whatever you may do to break she let him finish the sentence and when he paused for an answer she did not speak it is cruel to treat me as you are doing margaret he protested you have taught me to love you and yet you intend to drive me to a marriage i had regarded with dread even before we met i am thoroughly in earnest in what i say if i never see you again after i leave if i never hear whether you are dead or living i will not marry i think it would be a crime again he was not interrupted much to his surprise he had hurried in his speech thinking that she would refuse to let him finish your father she said simply there is a limit to filial obligations he replied if my father bade me put my arm in the fire or swallow a deadly poison would it be my duty to obey i have against this plan of his for years and now i simply cannot carry it out i love you margaret and you alone without you life will be barren and bitter i will not make it by marrying another whom i actually dislike there was a pause during which miss rivers gaze was fixed on a point far out at sea inclination and duty frequently conflict in this world said margaret at last is it not possible that their marriage bond in thinking of this matter you your dislike to miss possibly thrown together as as we have been you also your fondness for me and between these two it is more than probable that you think too lightly of your duty to your father besides this there is your to consider her engagement to you is announced her wedding clothes the sweet voice began to tremble are being made can you comprehend the blow to her if you your promise now he was plunged into the deepest gloom by her expressions all of these things had passed through his mind more than once but arranged in order and by her they had new and more terrible it only presents itself to me in this light he said should one completely ruin his life because he has made a rash and foolish promise if the breaking of that promise ruins the lives of others yes she replied gravely oh it is well enough to say that and it sounds very noble answered but one has to be in this position before he what it means she put a hand frankly into his and turned her eyes full upon him i know what it is and i am doing precisely what i ask you to do she said my life is ruined if you go out of it yet i say to you be true to your word though it breaks my heart and yours he took her hand and clasped it close in his own it was dark and no one was near them on the deck there was a about the contact that he could not resist there is one other chance he whispered what if i went to her and told her that i did not love her their marriage bond that i knew we should never be happy together if she released me then would you still refuse me in the long pause that followed he could hear the of the waters about the steamer s sides and the rustle of the sails overhead she never would release you cried margaret with a gasp no woman who had your promise to wed her could give you up it was ecstasy mixed with pain to hear her talk thus t if you were in her place and knew i never should love you would you not let me go he

asked not for worlds present and to come she answered fervently he trembled before her earnest think it all over he continued a husband who felt aversion for you who adored another but he would be mine she interrupted no i am sure i would not surrender you and i believe as time passed on i should be able to make you forget the absent one ah he cried you do not know me i am afraid she smiled sadly you do not know yourself it was hopeless to alter her decision but he breathed a blessing on her head when she put his hand to her lips at parting for the night and kissed it warmly the next day they would be at and perhaps before another night his steamer for the west would bear him away from her that kiss on his hand waa the sweetest memory he could take with him at daylight they sailed into the harbor and mr found margaret already dressed and on the deck when he went up to view the fortress and the town hotel people their marriage bond who came on board told him the boat in which he ex to leave the place had not yet arrived and was not expected till the day following he thought margaret seemed as pleased as he when he brought her this news and he wished with all his heart that she was not so stubborn in her ideas it was arranged that they should go together to the hotel and take breakfast after which she would make inquiries for the friends of whom she had spoken one i presume said the hotel clerk to as the couple stood together at his counter no two said i beg your pardon was the reply as the natural mistake was corrected he had supposed them married have them near together if possible said miss rivers her companion started with astonishment at the suggestion certainly connected if you like said the clerk who now thought he had hit upon the right relation of the parties they were of course brother and sister that will be best came from the girl s lips and a second shock thrilled the young man s nerves twenty seven twenty eight was the direction given to the and the couple were shown to some pleasant rooms on the second floor ashamed of the thoughts that followed this simple conversation drew himself together and began to discuss the usual things which interest in a town new to both of them from the windows of his parlor they could see the street the harbor the ships at anchor and in motion from hers as they soon found the frowning walls of the great rock were visible he their marriage bond wandered with her through the two with a freedom that she seemed to encourage talking of the strength of the fort the size of its the value it was to england and the manner in which that nation obtained possession of it soon however a lad came up to say that breakfast was served and they went down together and partook of and coffee like two sworn companions who had no differences i will ask at the office for the address of your friends here if you will give me their names said when they had once more reached their rooms and much as it is against my desire i will go with you when you seek them out he had found a new courage and he wanted to avail himself of it while it lasted but to his surprise miss responded that she was in no haste that later in the day would do quite as well and that she had rather sit there in his parlor with him and inspect the sights outside not displeased he took a seat by her on a sofa which she had turned to command the view and discussed it with her in low tones his arm stole around her form and when he attempted a half apology saying that it might be the last day they would ever be together margaret seemed not to hear him or to notice what he was doing she talked rapidly and moved closer until there was no more room to that is a french ship he was saying do you not see the and that is a russian see the enormous guns she carries and that a head lay on his shoulder and an arm drew his face downward what do we care for ships said a voice what are their flags or their guns to us their marriage bond chapter ix two rooms connecting the day passed away and the evening came and still margaret said nothing about the friends she had desired to see at noon when a knocked to ask what they would have for lunch they looked surprised they did not want anything it was quite too soon to think of food after their late breakfast why the idea was absurd in a moment more they had forgotten the disturbance and it was only when the shades of night reminded them of the day that the thought of dinner entered their minds to both of them the day had been the most perfect one of their lives in thought and conversation lost in each other no dark harassed their minds had for once laid his about completely aside margaret had put far from her the black page in her life that yesterday had seemed so near for him during those moments there was no father to no to gratify for her there was no past no future nothing but the delicious present it was the of love pure and sweet between persons of youth and health and intelligence it had not the delirium of passion but possessed the charm of undisturbed serenity when the sun had sunk so low that they could not see each other

s faces margaret was the one to suggest that the lamps be lighted he responded softly that he their marriage bond would see to them presently for he dreaded being even for so brief a period from her side he could not think of anything the dream in which he indulged was so beautiful he could have wished it to last forever but the broke in upon them for the second time with his knock on the door thinking doubtless that the interests of the hotel demanded that people should give him a dinner order when they had not had a to eat during the day and the happy lovers laughed as they reflected that a diet of kisses alone cannot sustain life beyond a certain space of time eat yes i suppose we must said when he had sent the boy away with directions to return in ten minutes it seems ridiculous though i never was less hungry look over this bill of fare my dear and tell me what you will have miss rivers did not know what she would have she said with him that she had not a of appetite that it would be quite the same to her if dinners had never been invented she looked over the on the list and ended by declaring that one thing would suit as well as another get anything you please she said i will try to help you eat it he decided on the articles announcing them aloud to her and she said they would never be able to eat half of them then he wanted to know whether she would dine in the general room or have the meal sent up to his parlor suddenly her face the story of the colonel s wife that had lain for hours came back to her the girl in london had taken dinner in her lover s rooms the night of her rescue what might hap their marriage bond pen to her after this man sailed was something margaret could only think of with dread while he remained she would have him near her at any cost have it sent up here she stammered and while he was giving the order she wiped a few tears from her eyes that came there in spite of her it was nearly an hour before the meal arrived but they thought it less than a quarter of that time the waiter spread it on a centre table and they began to eat and talk as if no one but themselves were there finding to their surprise that they were rather hungry after all during the of the attendant allowed his hands to stray across the table and envelope those of his companion he was still in a as far as the outer world was concerned and she was in nearly the same condition what was most astonishing was the amount they were eating from the first course to the last they did full justice to the there were too with the various courses and they were not neglected when the waiter had gone for the last time took up one of the cigars he had brought bit off the end and was about to light it when he threw the match aside exclaiming how careless of me i had forgotten you she laughed at the idea declaring that she liked tobacco smoke and that she would be best pleased if he would go on when he she lit a match herself and put it to the weed breathing in the he soon as if they were could this only last forever whispered the trembling mouth between his it can he cried it shall forever yes and a million years after w marriage bond her thought had stirred in him for the moment the memories of the past but he refused to let them his happiness he had never been so near heaven he had never dreamed that such bliss as this was vouchsafed to mortals the hours passed at last still the one to think she asked him what time it was i do not know he cried and i do not care i am afraid she said softly it is time to separate and i am sure he answered that it is time to remain together she sat still for a few minutes and then she spoke again oh what if they were to come before morning and say your steamer had arrived he laughed aloud i should tell them to let it go on again without you you may be sure but there is not another for two weeks she said her voice trembling i would not care if there were none for two years he answered she did not mean to let him neglect his duty at whatever cost to herself but she thrilled with delight to hear him speak thus it added another joy to his stay with her though it might give another pang to the hour of parting you know she said with a gasp what must be the end of all this there will be no end he answered smiling oh yes she said there will be an end and their marriage bond very quickly too we have gone too far already when your steamer comes you must join it to do otherwise is to pursue a course you would regret all your life it has not come he laughed and we need not talk about it till it does why should we waste these precious moments in margaret tell me once more that you love me did she need to tell him that she murmured could he doubt it when he remembered where he was and yet you mean to send me from you some time within a day or two at most and never see me again she cried out in pain at the blunt statement but she nodded assent well said he

i love you too and i refuse to go without you if i take that steamer you will take it with me since you are so anxious i should not neglect my duty i leave it to you to make me it each sentence was with kisses and his mood was joyous he refused to think of any parting from her what are you going to do he added have you discovered some new way to make your fortune let me see how rich you are he took her purse from the mantel where after the manner of women she had laid it he cried sweeping the odd sovereigns and shillings into his pocket you haven t a penny you are a beggar in a week after i leave you will be dying of starvation he meant all this in a spirit of but the words had a terrible meaning to margaret the small sum she possessed would have lasted her but a few weeks at most and then what had she to expect but starvation or before her mind was always the story of the their marriage bond colonel s wife the fate that lay open to a girl with physical attractions it might not be the horrors of an imprisoned room but it must be the giving of one s self in exchange for the means to sustain existence please put my money back she said put it back and let me settle with you now for the ticket you bought in and the hotel charges here he laughed so loudly that she feared he would attract attention from other persons in the house you are a he answered you are unable to settle your debts he spread open the empty purse and must be sold under the hammer i shall not admit other i know too much for that i am going to have you at my own price how much shall i offer he placed one foot in a chair and taking up the empty purse assumed the attitude of an well i will start it at my life my love my hand in marriage my true devotion as long as i live at the close seemed impressed by the significance of the words he had uttered so lightly he threw himself on his knees before the girl and covered her hands with kisses ah margaret he cried how can you let me keep up this farce to leave you is to go to everlasting to bear you with me as my promised wife is to open the gates of paradise i must save you from your own i must refuse to let you your folly let us end this suspense here and now tell me you will be mine the lightning like change in his manner as well as the of his expressions affected miss rivers powerfully but she would not surrender if you speak like this there is but one course open their marriage bond to me she replied i must bid you and good bye he rose to his feet as erect and almost aa pale as a statue of marble very well i he said if it is to be let it be now if you are resolved to doom me to torment i may as well understand it to night as later there is no new argument that i can offer taking a handful of money from his pocket much more he was sure than he had abstracted from her purse he stuffed it into that and went to the other side of the room he seemed to be waiting for her to the apartment good bye my my friend she whispered when five minutes had passed and he did not stir good bye he replied shortly without turning his head won t you shake hands with me she whispered after another long pause no he exclaimed turning fiercely toward her then he melted a little at sight of the pathetic figure and added i can t margaret don t you see i can t i must compose myself or i shall go mad unless unless he said it you will change your mind it was the girl who turned this time more to hide the of salt drops to her eyes than for any other reason a moment later she had taken the few things belonging to her and left the room through the door that connected her apartment with his mr drew a long breath and sank wearily into a chair he pulled out a cigar and began to fill the room with smoke finding that this did not steady his nerves he got a strong glass of liquor from a bottle that their marriage bond the servant had left and drank it ten minutes later he rang and asked the to find out whether anything had yet been heard of the american steamer while the lad was gone he busied himself with his baggage tossing things into the trunk and bags this done he took paper and pen and wrote the name of miss on an envelope into which he put fifty pounds of english money with this line take it you will need it some time the boy returned with the statement that no news of the steamer had been received she could not now enter and leave port till some time on the following morning the gentleman could sleep undisturbed with the assurance that he would be called at any hour he might name sleep much sleep he was likely to get in his state of mind he told the boy that he did not need to be called he wished heartily that the boat had been in the harbor and that he could have gone on board of her it was simply in that hotel with the cause of all his woes separated from him only by a brick wall u damn it he ejaculated

many times the words seemed to partially relieve the on his mind he did not dare think of her still less did he wish to think of home and what awaited him there what a long night it promised to be he looked at his watch and wound it from the force of habit it was only half past ten he walked up and down his room in and out of the bed chamber beyond oh how long how very long the night was he the face of his watch again their marriage bond it was now a quarter before eleven he lay down and tried to sleep he lay there for hours for days for weeks and then in desperation he looked at his watch again to see what new lie was on its face half past eleven what an absurdity a century passed after that during which he tossed and turned more sleepless if possible than before then a clock somewhere began striking and twelve strokes sitting up began to curse the that could utter such a senseless falsehood he forgot the silence of the place and the distinctness with which his voice in the empty rooms when he stopped he fancied he heard a new and strange sound like the movement of soft feet on the carpet in the parlor his brain was turned he could not his senses across the open doorway faintly shown by the lowered light stole a slight figure a human shape and it came toward him their marriage bond x mr and mrs it was late the next morning when arose he had lain for more than an hour after waking harassed hy the most horrible reflections and fears he was far from being at heart a bad man could it have availed to blot out the of the previous twelve hours he would have sacrificed every hope of success that had filled his brain with languid steps and pale features he dragged himself about the room like a man partially when miss returned to him long after he stole a glance at her face to see if there was left a single gleam of pity for one who had wronged her so deeply to his surprise he noticed nothing that indicated hate although her manner was much more subdued than formerly overcome by his emotions he took a step toward her and fell upon his knees at her feet with the sweetest words of comfort margaret him for his prostrate position and succeeded at last in persuading him to arise and talk with her but when he pleaded his love in of his conduct and promised to take her hand in marriage as soon as a clergyman could be found she proved as as ever no man in his senses she said would talk of making a wife of a woman disgraced as i am your excitement turned your brain don t talk like that unless you intend to make me really he groaned their marriage bond she shook her head sorrowfully i don t know what to say to you she ejaculated and i wish you would forget this disagreeable subject there are some hours yet left to us before your steamer will sail must we spend it all in talking of matters about which we differ why cannot we be good friends and part without a quarrel he demanded to know why she thought he could ever quarrel with her why he should ever be anything but her dear close friend he repeated in spite of her entreaties that there was no reason in the world but her why she should not let him call her by the name of wife before the day ended his love for her had grown ten times greater since they came to he would not leave her he would give up the business of his firm he would remain in europe unless she consented to go to america with him why he cried in conclusion you are already my wife the ceremony prescribed by the law can hardly us closer than we are i will listen to no of your duty margaret this is a matter in which i have a right to insist how wildly and passion will make a man talk she said your wife indeed if i had promised you my hand and the hour of our wedding was fixed for to day i would refuse to keep my promise after what has occurred unless i could become a wife with the respect of my husband i never would marry oh margaret he cried what is it you mean to do you have confided to me your situation you are innocent of the ways of the world if i leave you here you will fall a victim to some miserable and live a life you despise with a man you hate their marriage bond she shivered and he drew her closer to his as if to warm her i realize the truth of the picture you have drawn said she after kissing him once more to gain strength i have known it for some days the of expecting to make a living at any respectable employment but the men who are to share my smiles will not hold my heart in their grasp as you do i shall not feel that fierce hunger with which you possess me that jealousy of every other female creature in the universe heard her with the utmost impatience i wish you could feel for one second he said the torture you cause me it is simply i cannot give you up now whatever i could have done before make your own terms with me margaret give me any obligation you like only don t say we are never to meet after that dreadful steamer arrives i should throw myself from its deck into the ocean if i knew you were consigned to the awful

life of which you spoke a little while ago i will not leave you here i say that once for all you shall go to america or i shall remain in europe if there be no place where you can earn a living here there are certainly plenty on the other side of the sea you have no right to refuse my offer to obtain one for you there an honest opportunity to get your bread if you refuse that you are beyond reason miss rivers saw that her companion was being wrought into a state of and she tried to soothe him what i fear is that your resolution to leave me when we reach land will not be so easy to keep there will be their marriage bond the same trouble over again the talk of marriage and that sort of thing no he said eagerly i will let all that go i will give up all hope of marrying you and certainly i shall never think of marrying any other woman there it is settled then there is no more to be said you will go to new york with me i will put you in good hands and he said the last words with a choking voice we will part forever he could not hold back the tears and seeing him weeping she mingled hers with those that down his cheek i had forgotten that you wished to see friends here he said presently we shall have to attend to that this morning or it may be too late i do not want to see them if i am going with you she answered oh i wonder if i had better go the temptation to escape my certain fate here is great but there must be no break in your promise make it again solemnly he repeated it after her slowly and sealed it with a kiss on her lips i i will go she said after a moment s pause yes i will go and now i must return to my room and get ready for it must be nearly noon a minute he said as she was about to leave him you know i have done you a fearful wrong and you know i am very sorry it will do me much good to hear you say you forgive me i will say it and welcome she replied it was all my fault i believed you would leave with less regret you learned that i was not the kind of woman you wanted for your wife he shook his head as if he did not yet understand their marriage bond i thought she stammered i wanted yo to go away with an easier heart he drew her closer to him again you poor little innocent he exclaimed in what school did you learn these strange ideas a few minutes later a was knocking the american steamer had arrived and would leave in about two hours margaret opened her door when he hastened to impart the news the steamer is here our steamer he said we are going in two hours together hush she replied when she had disengaged herself from his embrace if you act like this i shall not dare go with you i want to say one thing he whispered and you will understand at once in order that we may be as much together as we please i shall register you on the passenger list as my wife oh she exclaimed but he stopped her it is not an official document i only want to stop the tongues of the other passengers we shall have nothing to do with them it is merely for there was another knock at his door and he went back to talk with a porter who wanted to know when the baggage would be ready he sent down for his bill and paid everything for both it was a good thing there was so much to do for he was afraid every minute that miss would raise some new objection if she had time to talk with him alone presently they were in the carriage and toward the pier what names asked the agent when asked for two tickets mr and mrs he replied their marriage bond christian names and once on board margaret went directly to her where she elected to remain for the present pleading a slight with a tender caress bade her try to sleep saying he would not disturb her for an hour or two as he regained the deck he saw coming toward him a familiar form and held out his hand exclaiming well you are mistaken was the icy reply my name is their marriage bond chapter xi come and let us talk the astonishment of mr at this reception of his advances was marked he knew that the person he had addressed was mr and he could not account for the direct cut he had received or the that he was mistaken for some moments he stood staring after the form of the other as it moved toward the farther end of the deck wondering over the strange occurrence suddenly he saw it whirl about and come toward him quite as rapidly as it had gone away come over here and let us have a talk said in a more tone followed willingly for he bore no ill will on account of the treatment he had just received when they had reached a quiet spot where there were no ears to their conversation remarked i was not looking for any one i knew and i have reasons for not wishing to be addressed here by my true name that is why i answered you so abruptly but as you are apparently going to be my fellow for the next ten days you might as well understand it now as later if you have any secret that you do not

wish me to learn i hope you will not think it necessary to reveal it responded i would not have addressed you had i suspected that to be the case and i will profess not to know you during the voyage if you desire there is nothing to be gained by that course said after reflection i have committed what most marriage bond people would call an and it is too late to undo it if i had expected to meet any person who knew me on the boat i should have taken a different method all i need explain to you is that i have bought my ticket under the name of and that a lady who come with me is as he spoke as if the matter was a very ordinary one for he did not mean to have his tones excite more interest than the words they uttered but could not help a slight start and a change of color there it is out now added you could make it very unpleasant for me if you chose but i think i read your mind better than to suppose you would do so i am involved in one of those affairs which explanations only the least said in the matter will be mended mr bowed and said he should do nothing to add to his friend s uneasiness he had no wish to learn anything on the subject he colored as he made the statement very much as a girl might have done with the same suspicions in mind but felt certain of his to his word and breathed easier the conversation then changed to mr visit to europe and to the legitimate business of mr on his foreign trip it seemed that had been to take some at and had taken the opportunity to see a little of southern italy but his time had been extremely limited and he was going home still hungry for the sights he had missed he listened to s account of his own voyages asking many questions and showing interest in all he heard on learning that it was only five weeks since had left boston mr inquired about his friends their marriage bond there the young lawyer gave an account of many of them among others he also mentioned incidentally that he had gone with once or twice to mrs s and had also seen mr the elder how did he appear the son anxiously much as the last time i had seen him the time you were there said i had quite a talk with him mainly as was natural about you i did not then know that i was going abroad i started very suddenly but i think at that time he expected you home a little earlier than this explained that he had done more business than he at first expected and then he inquired about the mrs looked the picture of health responded and miss though not as ruddy as her mother was as ever very beautiful by the way he added as if not quite sure that he ought to mention it i saw the announcement of your engagement just before you sailed to this statement vouchsafed no reply he was the scene to himself the of mrs the familiar faces that he knew must have gathered there in one chair in a corner his pale faced father sat talking a little occasionally and thinking of the days when he took a more active part in the affairs of the world thinking too no doubt of the absent son whose future he had been at such pains to secure both in a business and matrimonial way what would happen when the son returned and told him that he would under no circumstances carry out the promise he had made to marry trembled at the thought but he did not believe anything their marriage bond could make him from his determination to marry margaret rivers or die a bachelor knew that the subject of the engagement was a distasteful one to his friend and he did not again allude to it he could not help reflecting that the of two persons as mr and mrs had something to do with it the matter had a strange fascination for him but he had no intention of taking pains to the mystery the first time he had seen he thought her the most creature he had ever beheld he had looked upon her as was already to be as the most happy of mortals he knew that was the general opinion in and about boston and he was greatly puzzled to find that some cloud had come into the happy story of the young couple mr and mrs had married while abroad and taken another name on the boat to avoid a premature announcement of the fact to his father that seemed the most probable explanation to his remarkable conduct it will be practically impossible to live together on this steamer a week and avoid each other half the time said i should not like to do it even if i could mrs is at present in her cabin but she will be on deck i trust before the day is over you will be likely to see a good deal of her you intend to present me then certainly our mutual talk will be about europe and the united states in a general way as far as i can guide it i think margaret he paused at his error mrs will say very little on any subject when we are together as i said and as i wish to remarked ho their marriage bond with that flush which came so readily to his face i want to know nothing of your private affairs but in order that there may be no confusion tell me one thing am i to consider in my conversation that you are married to

this lady is that what i am given to understand that is exactly what we wish you to assume replied in case the necessity arises to assume anything for reasons which i cannot explain if i would we have in that manner and we wish to keep up the assumption till we are landed in new york soon after saying this he excused himself and went to attend to some business with the and head steward while determined not to with matters that belonged to another could not help bringing his legal mind to bear on the case before him from the concluding statement of his friend he gathered that and the lady with him were unmarried he had not said so definitely but he had spoken of it as an assumption a thousand conjectures might be made of their reasons for under a false title there was certainly nothing to show that s marriage with miss had been broken off or even that this voyage with mrs had anything to in it of a nature still as he kept saying to himself whatever the affair meant it was nothing to him he could not undertake to act as guardian of the morals of a universe the world was a queer one and strange things happened every day half an hour later being in the dining saloon he was spoken to by the steward mr has asked me to give him and his wife their marriage bond ill eats next to you and the gentlemen who had them have consented kindly to make a change that will be very pleasant stammered mr involuntarily he glanced at the card which the steward had placed by the two plates and read them mr cabin mrs cabin the lunch bell rang while he was thinking about the matter and he himself for the ordeal before him to his relief however came to the table alone with the explanation that mrs did not yet feel equal to sitting up and would be served in her cabin margaret was not really ill but exhausted with the strain through which she had passed in her excited state she was already sorry that she had yielded to the temptation to follow the man she loved into the new world still she trembled to think how she would have felt at this moment had his vessel disappeared across the and left her to face the hopeless future of poverty alone the emotions dealt severely with a none too strong and the girl lay prone upon the sofa in her cabin a very pitiable object why had she ever left in his company she asked herself a thousand times there was the point to separate as her conscience had told her plainly every hour spent together made the parting more and more painful why had she to her great love at the hotel instead of making it easier to part either for her or him it had made it infinitely more difficult and here she was as his wife living a lie but on the other hand her situation had been indeed trying when she had resolved to give up so much for the sake of that american woman whom she had never seen she had need of something to strengthen her their marriage bond heart a single happy memory to the the after years of her life must hold she had stolen nothing from miss mr would marry yet at the hour he had agreed she would make him do it the ten days before he reached land were hers she might have taken all the days he had hut she had reserved to herself only this space giving all the rest to her rival on the second day at evening she appeared at dinner and ran the of many eyes as the probable bride who had come aboard at she was presented to mr who sat next to mr and exchanged a few words with him decided that he could tell nothing about her yet and waited to get a better opportunity to form an opinion she was certainly a pretty woman though he reflected had nothing of the radiant beauty of miss she wore mourning which added to the subdued appearance that had become natural to her she looked as if she had passed through some recent trial the of her face might be ascribed partly to this and partly to the effect of a day at sea when the dinner was ended margaret walked for half an hour on the deck leaning on her husband s arm and the most of the passengers satisfied their curiosity regarding her at that time then she retired and mr went to th smoking room to light a cigar the days that followed were much like this one though miss rivers was more upon the deck than at first she had little conversations with mr in which he learned that she was of english birth and had lived much in the east but nothing mare their marriage bond xii lost in new york at six one morning miss rivers went early upon the deck she saw from the window of her cabin that land was not far away that the harbor of new york had already been entered as she walked about her eyes searched for a familiar face and she soon saw it with its eyes gazing toward the shore good morning mr she said as she approached him as he turned and looked at her she saw that he was not over pleased at the encounter he replied politely but there was a lack of cordiality in his manner that he perhaps did not realize good morning mrs he said lifting his hat i want to ask a favor of you she said wistfully i want you by and by when we have landed to give this letter to mr to mr she held a little envelope

in her hand offering it to him but he made no move to take it why do you not give it to him yourself he asked because i am sure you will not betray me i am going to leave him as soon as opportunity offers he he is not my husband i knew long ago that you had guessed it and i must relieve him of my presence i can t explain any more but when i am gone this note will matters and prevent his a for me won t you please give it to him i am sorry to refuse but i really cannot mix in the their marriage bond affair he answered the chief steward or the might accommodate you but for very strong reasons i cannot a look of deep distress her features and there was a suspicion of moisture in her dark eyes she said good morning again not angrily and went toward the dining saloon i suppose i ve been fearfully said to himself but really t don t see what else i could have done not married to eh well as she says i never believed she was it s one of those that good men fall into in their youth and according to what she says it ends here he will go back to and marry miss who will never know of the i wonder he mused what she would say if she did know of it there would be an end to her wedding preparations i guess she s not the sort of woman to stand a thing like this if it came to her ears margaret found that the head steward was busy and on reflection thought it best not to give him her note yet for fear of accident soon after she knocked on s door i think you will have to hasten said she it will take some time for you to dress and pack she added as he opened the i have been up for an hour and a half and have only just finished at the hotel to which we are going she continued in a whisper there must be no more of mr and mrs you are again to be and i margaret rivers when he was ready they walked to the saloon where went through the form of declaring to the officials that he had no goods either in his baggage r that of his wife for this purpose he was obliged their marriage bond to answer to the name recorded on the passenger list then they went to breakfast eating the meal in comparative silence had taken his breakfast already and left the table the other passengers around them were at the prospect of being so soon on shore a number of ladies whom margaret had never seen made their appearance the inevitable found on all atlantic who keep their during an entire voyage on account of were being exchanged with promises to write always so at the end of a voyage between people who have formed which they believe will be lasting the brightness and bustle struck a chill to margaret s heart most of those around her were going to happy homes after some months or years of absence she alone seemed to have come to a foreign land where no one knew her and where she had no hope of anything more than the if indeed she was so lucky as to find that they went upon the deck where absent pointed out to her the islands of the harbor and the buildings on shore as well as the spider s web which the great bridge appears to the distant sight he could not talk of much else for fear of making a scene the attitude of the couple joined to the dejected appearance of margaret and the mourning that she wore caused comment among the passengers who decided again that the american had married an english wife who had lately suffered some great the belief settled down to a deceased mother whom she and her husband had gone to to bury at last the steamer reached her dock and was made their marriage bond fast the plank was arranged and the passengers alighted with little delay passed the and he was soon on the way to a hotel with his companion their hands stole together as they rode through the streets but neither dared utter more than when they drew up in front of the mr asked the girl to remain for a few moments in the carriage while he inquired if suitable rooms could be obtained as it was a time when he supposed the house would be quite full he had hardly passed out of sight when margaret made a quick resolve and acted upon it she had given up the plan of asking the head steward of the steamer to deliver the little note of farewell which had offered to mr she had in the suggestion that should remain with her for a day or two until he could find her a situation with the understanding that all relations but those of friendship should cease between them from the time they landed but when he alighted to look for their rooms a fright seized her she was morally certain that the rooms he would select would communicate with each other she knew how hard it was for him to give her up and she dreaded putting her weak strength of mind against his strong one should she enter that hotel she did not know how she could resist if he opposed her determination to leave the present was above all others the time for freedom and she made a bold dash for it the moment he was out of sight she called the cab man to the window the large trunk and the smaller bags are to be taken off here she said hurriedly the

other bag and the little trunk go on with me their marriage bond what you don t stop together said the man no be as quick as possible please there is no time to spare knowing no reason for delay the man called to the hotel who stood around and had the baggage removed from his vehicle what shall we do with them ma am asked one of the when the articles named were deposited in the doorway the gentleman will be back directly he has gone inside to engage a room she said then to the driver do you know of any respectable boarding house where the charges are not very dear i want to be taken to such a place at once the driver for a wonder knew of exactly such a place and mounting his box drove off toward it the room and board with the price asked for the same proving satisfactory miss settled for the cab and entered her new home her first act after finding herself alone was a very feminine one she lay down on the bed and cried for an hour as if her heart would break as for his surprise and disappointment may be imagined when he found how he had been deserted he inquired of the of the hotel who had seen the carriage if they remembered the number or would recognize the driver if they saw him again but in both these points he was met by it was plain that they thought the joke on him a huge one for he could discern covert smiles in their faces and felt that they would not help him even if they could the lady had meant to give him the slip and their sympathy was all with her he could not explain the state of affairs to these fellows and rather than remain in a house where the story their marriage bond was certain to be repeated among the guests he took a second carriage and went immediately to another one what was to be done he did not want to leave margaret to the tender of a strange country he sincerely wished to aid her in every possible way to earn a living since it was clear she was bound at any cost to carry out her intention of leaving him but new york is a large place she might have left the city by one of the numerous trains reaching out into the country in a hundred directions she would without doubt do her best to avoid him the more he thought of the matter the more he grew his conscience pricked him severely for the part he had played toward her he was no she was the first woman toward whom he had ever acted in this way he would never have been led into it but for the belief that he could right his wrong by marriage what were her chances to obtain an honest living he feared they were not of the best she was pretty very and nearly he knew just how much money she had for the day before landing he had put a hundred dollars in american money into her purse from which he had taken the last shilling when they left she had protested when he did this and he had promised to take it back again as soon as she was settled in a good place and was certain she could spare the amount a hundred dollars it might last her six or seven weeks with the rigid economy she would be sure to practice and after that without the least idea that he was likely to see her he walked up and down the streets all that afternoon and into the evening peering into every female face he en their marriage bond he was without hope and yet it seemed as if he could not give up people stared at him so pale so in his quest he had eaten no lunch and no dinner about eleven o clock at night he met on the a familiar form and stopped at the warm greeting of mr why where did you come from i don t know was the strange reply the speaker was so full of the of his thoughts that for a moment he could not collect himself see here said you re not well come inside one of these and take something for your nerves not able to resist though he hated to have his walk interrupted followed his old acquaintance into a brightly lighted place and in response to a request to state what he would take said simply that he did not care you are ill said him closely you d best have a little brandy and water he indicated to a waiter who had appeared that he might bring the when you ve swallowed that i ll get a carriage and take you to your hotel where are you stopping i don t know was the answer while mr showed signs of for heaven s sake brace up said the other becoming alarmed you had too hard a sea voyage i guess and haven t got your land legs yet think he added fearing that his friend would faint before he had given information as to his hotel where did you get your dinner mr looked at the and then the brandy and water arriving some of it slowly their marriage bond i don t think i ve had any dinner he said finally you came in on the steamer from this morning didn t you eyed his companion nervously how did you know that he asked rousing him self i guessed it from the fact that your father told me a few days ago that he had had a letter from you dated at and that you intended taking the southern route home and i saw in the noon edition of the that

he was able to secure three or four times during the night he rose and went to look at the for he had not removed more than a part of his own clothing but there was nothing to be done the morning came and found s rest undisturbed and it was after nine o clock when he finally opened his eyes his first sensations were another sinking at the heart as the truth forced itself upon him but was ready with encouraging words with about the trains to boston and with allusions to the father who had not seen his son for months and whose anxiety must be great to welcome him there was little prospect that longer delay in new york would avail anything at least thought he might go home and meet his father and business associates and then if any glimmer of hope came again to his breast he could return and his search he indicated to that he would go with him and the one o clock train was decided upon he allowed his friend to send a to announcing the decision then he took a slight breakfast packed his things inquired at the other hotel office if any visitor had come or any mail sent to the general post to see if anything had been received there from the intelligence their marriage bond office people and finally drove with his companion to the grand central station on the train he had a and was obliged to administer a cordial to keep him from an entire giving way the dreadful thought that margaret was alone and helpless in that great that her fate could hardly be a matter of doubt came over him like a flood even should she in her mad purpose to avoid him would she know where to find him america was to her a she had passed most of her life in the east where the conditions were so widely different she was by nature shrinking and to ask it might be that at this moment she was sobbing her sweet eyes out in an agony of regret at her desertion and without the slightest idea how to proceed in a search for him oh it was as the train approached its destination however became calmer he had a trial to meet and he resolved to put on the best possible appearance till the first of it was over he made himself as as possible in the toilet room of the he occupied and when mr parted from him as he did before took the train for he entertained no doubt that it was quite safe to do so good bye said pressing his hand see you in a day or two or sooner if you want me these sea voyages are to many people and a little longer time on land will set you right my regards to your father and the their marriage bond mrs s advice the welcome which received at the paternal mansion was as warm as he could have expected this was the first time he had been separated o long from his father and the elder gentleman evinced his pleasure at seeing him again in no uncertain manner it was some minutes before he noticed the that mental distress had wrought in his son s face and he was easily satisfied with the explanation that the weather at sea had been rough the talk lasted until half an hour after the dinner was ended and then edward suggested that go without further delay to pay a call on his sweetheart i have not sent them word of your arrival as no doubt you thought i would do he said so your coming will be a perfect surprise duty is duty my boy and must be considered before everything else don t stay too long for i want another talk before i go to bed how good it seems to see your face again still to some extent by the events that had occurred could not help being impressed by the happiness of this relation who had been until within the past few weeks the dearest person on earth to him before leaving the house he stooped over the invalid s chair and received a kiss on the forehead after the old fashion the path that led across the field was bordered now with the country flowers of early summer the grass on their marriage bond both sides was green and fragrant and the trees were in the full beauty of their foliage the sun had set but the evening was still with light and the air was as as that of the islands he had visited in but the heavy weight on his heart overpowered all else was sitting on a of her house and discerned his form some moments before he arrived she called her mother in a low voice through an open window and when approached near enough to make the action discreet both ladies waved their hands to him and descended the steps their quick eyes saw even before any words were exchanged that he was in no very joyful mood and they adapted themselves tc the situation the usual expressions of pleasure at greeting a wanderer were given as mr approached and took their hands and his answers were courteous enough still no spectator would have imagined from his manner that the younger of these ladies was to him and that the day set for their wedding was only three or four months distant mrs had a great deal of tact and she so managed the conversation that all went smoothly she made him talk of the things he had seen and alluded to her own foreign journeys taken many years before did little but listen and she did that very well her smile was ready when the situation called for a smile and her fair brow darkened with apprehension when anything

was said about the dangers of the deep the welcome home that both of them gave him was of a kind that would have gone far to influence his future had he not been to everything in that direction he thought in the pauses of the their marriage bond tion of the imperative necessity to let these people understand his true situation regarding them before many days had passed and the that were certain to arise filled him with dismal himself at an early hour on the plea that his father was sitting up for him strolled back to his home it was impossible for edward to let the occasion pass without alluding to the marriage or speaking of the congratulations that had been upon the match from all sides i don t believe you half realize even yet what a lucky chap you are he said with a chuckle your possesses every requisite for happiness she is young beautiful wealthy and you are the only man who has ever in the remotest degree won her affection it will be but a little while now before this will be yours and you are already the envy of every young man within thirty miles of boston it was no time to get involved in a as important as this would be i think i shall have to go to bed remarked with a wearied look i am still very tired with my voyage and you know i have a great deal of business to do to morrow the father though with a trace of disappointment in his countenance for he dearly loved the subject on which he had launched out the next day escaped the discussion he so much dreaded he was with members of his firm until evening and came home so late that his father had already retired the succeeding day he managed to get leave of absence with some business for the concern in new york as an excuse and hastened to to pack a their marriage bond well business is of the first importance commented edward sadly as he heard the news you won t be gone more than a day or two i suppose there s time to run over and explain it to miss i hope you ve only spent a couple of hours with her your long absence yes said he would have the carriage stop there on the way to the train he would return from the metropolis as soon as his affairs there would let him of course then fearing to talk too long he bade his father a hasty farewell and entered the cab which had been summoned his interview with the ladies was even they accepted his statement about the urgent and sudden business call without arriving in new york he went first to the but there were no letters for him there he drove next to the hotel he had intended to occupy and found that no lady or other person had called to inquire for him or to leave any message he received both of these pieces cf information with for his nerves had recovered something of their natural strength and be he had not allowed himself to expect anything different there was no danger that he would this time or require the services of a physician although his regard for margaret rivers had suffered no he next sought out the services of a and arranged for two of their best men these never have any other kind to search the city for the missing one he told them her correct name gave the best description he could of her and detailed the manner in which she had him there was no need to hint at the relations he had sustained to their marriage bond her but he did say that they had arrived from on the same steamer giving the name of the vessel and the date the commenced in a way by several hundred strange to say they found the one who had taken miss and mr to the hotel and had then at her request driven her to a boarding house returning to their office they found there this was on the second day and one of them went with him to the house the lady evidently wanted who had however given the name of was easily identified at the boarding house but she had remained only one night and the landlady had an impression that she had said something about leaving the city as he listened to these words mr felt a deep conviction that all the efforts he might put forth to find this girl would be wasted that fate had swept her with one gigantic wave out of his reach forever he went back to the paid his bill saying that he needed nothing more at present then he pulled himself together and went about the business matters which had served as an excuse for his visit to new york giving no indication to the gentlemen whom he met that a pressure calculated to drive one to insanity was weighing him down he returned to boston on the third day firmly convinced that he had lost his heart s love and that he would never find her in this world firmly convinced also that there was no consideration even the health of his father that could induce him to become a living lie in the person of brace s husband there was a conflict before him from which he would ordinarily have their marriage bond shrunk to the extent of submission he must meet it now whatever its results with a firm front the following day was sunday and in the afternoon he went to visit his the sky was bright and the weather warm and responded with alacrity to his suggestion of a walk the route selected was one seldom much a by road shaded by tall trees when they were

out of hearing of any other person began the disagreeable task that lay before him he said in a strained voice i have brought you here to make a confession a confession she started at the word for she dreaded what might follow when a young man talks of making a confession to the girl to whom he is engaged it may well excite her apprehension i want to tell my story in a straightforward way he continued and when it is ended i want you to forgive me if you can the plain truth is that i wish a release from the promise i made you before i went away it is not from any fault with you but the fact is i have gone on in this matter against my judgment from the first merely to please my father it was by his request almost by his command that i spoke the formal words to you on the eve of my departure his health was so poor that i feared to cause him distress and at the time i really thought i could carry out the plan he has had so long at heart but i cannot do it i have no such sentiment toward you as a man should have toward his intended wife i like you extremely well i should be glad to think i could always share your friendship marriage should it seems to me be accompanied with warmer feelings unpleasant as it must be for you to hear this it is even more unpleasant for me to tell it i will go further and say that i con their marriage bond it a plain duty to make this revelation for a marriage between people under these circumstances could hardly result otherwise than as a curse to both of them whatever had entered the mind of the girl when the theme of a confession was entered upon she was wholly unprepared for what she heard it was quite impossible for her to make a verbal reply until some minutes had passed during which the walk was continued slowly and in silence i wish you had had the courage to tell me this before you went away she said at last it would have been easier then to settle the matter now when our engagement has been published when all our friends have come to consider it as a matter of days when we are to be married the embarrassment will be terrible but i don t mean to influence you in any way if what you say is your full determination i shall only have to confide it to my mother and abide by her advice he was relieved that she took it so calmly he had half expected an outburst of tears with perhaps a torrent of one thing is sure he said you are not according to the popular use of the term in love with me there will be no heart no she answered but to a woman there are other things that count for almost as much pride fear of the of the world the of a life that seemed already out then this has been a favorite hope of both our parents i have thought it my first duty to obey my mother i have conceived that her regard for me was so great that her advice could wisely be followed it will be a great blow to her i their marriage bond tears had come at last into her eyes and voice but they were quickly overcome did not like to exhibit her feelings to a man who had just spoken to her in this manner well i have a great deal of trouble before me as well as you if that helps console you said it has cost me something to come to these conclusions my father has been accustomed to give his commands to me and rely upon my obedience for the first time since i can remember i shall have to make a stand against his will i would not do that if i could see any honorable way to please him he thought as he thus of honor of the english girl and his cheek then he thought of her desertion and he again let us go toward home suggested she wanted to be as soon as possible under the guns of the maternal fortress there was nothing more to be said and they their steps arriving at the house was about to say good evening when the girl interrupted him i want you to come in and tell mother what you have told me she said it will have to be done some time and the sooner it is over the better he would have been glad to escape but he saw no reason to refuse her request there were just so many steps on this disagreeable road and he might as well take this one now as later he was ushered into a parlor and left alone for what seemed an interminable length of time but mrs came at last and with her the widow was apparently quite composed while the daughter could not conceal the fact that she was still much their marriage bond t good afternoon was mrs brace s greeting at the same time taking his hand will you please tell me as near as you can what you have been telling well it s just this responded mr in a i had never been in love i yielded to my father s wishes trying to make myself believe i should feel different about it when the time came to marry and i don t feel any different i feel more than ever as the day approaches that i cannot carry out the plan i think it honest and fair both to her and to me to state the case exactly as it is mrs bowed have you said this

yet to your father she inquired no i wanted to present the situation first to and ask her to release me my father is an invalid and i dread the effect on his shattered health i thought mrs that when you and saw the situation as it is you would help me close the engagement in a way that would my father s regret surely he added desperately there is nothing worse than to without love the widow was silent for a moment i do not think she said that you realize the position in which this places her engagement to you was announced six months ago with your consent congratulations have been upon her from a hundred quarters nearly ever since your departure and have been at work making preparations for the wedding it has even been settled who are to be invited and most of the guests have been privately of the fact in order to give them time for preparation an engagement is considered in these their marriage bond days a very serious thing not a promise to be broken because one of the parties takes some strange notion into his head as to your idea of not loving sufficiently that comes in thousands of cases after marriage instead of before i cannot say that i had a sentiment for my husband strong enough to be called t love on the day we were united but our regard for each other grew my dear i believe you have been working yourself into a state of from which a little rest and right thinking will relieve you but to this he shook ms head decidedly nothing whatever will change me he exclaimed there are reasons which were i at liberty to give them would convince you are these reasons anything asked the lady slowly that reflect upon my daughter no no a thousand times no he cried then she must not suffer from them said mrs decidedly speaking in her name i must declare that we shall hold you to your agreement shall insist replied the lady on your carrying out your promise of marriage mr rose i never shall carry it out he said never mrs people have changed their minds before now was the quiet answer when you have given a few hours more thought to this matter you will conclude that to inflict suffering upon a young and innocent girl does not accord with your highest and best views of what is right it is too late to withdraw from your word before heaven you are pledged to each other almost as truly as if the clergyman had pronounced the their marriage bond words but let us say no more about it now i want you to think this over for another day he uttered an exclamation of distress thinking it over will only drive me mad he replied i have thought it over now until i can hardly cat or sleep i know it is an injury to if it was only to me i could hear it better to refuse to marry her a train of troubles to marry her would let loose an not daring to trust himself to say more the young man left the house and walked toward his own home he meant to tell his father everything and have another chapter over with but he saw the doctor s carriage at the door and learned from a servant that mr had just been by one of his attacks and was in a very precarious condition their marriage bond chapter xv warned during the days that immediately followed found the overwhelming love for his father that had been for nearly his entire life a passion with him returning with irresistible force to sit by the side of his parent to him according to the doctor s directions was his only consolation edward was fully conscious but too weak to talk except in occasional whispers it seemed to his son however that he could read but one thought in his father s mind and that this was connected with the marriage on which he had so long set his heart the physician at the end of a week to a request from the sick man to permit mrs and her daughter to enter his chamber for a few moments separately the widow with rare judgment contented herself with a moment s stay and a word or two of encouragement who had not seen since his announcement of his changed views came at once to the bedside and stooping over the invalid a kiss on his wasted cheek nothing that she could have done would have pleased edward more than this his eyes lighted up as she rose to to draw near he took one of his hands and one of s and placed them together between his own it was a significant expression of his anticipation even in his weak condition the uppermost thought in his brain their marriage bond with rare discretion miss allowed the incident to pass without doing anything to annoy her if such he might at that time be called certainly the young man did not think it an moment to his trusting parent when the interview in the sick room was ended spoke a few words relating strictly to his father s illness to the ladies in an room and they returned to their home it was a month before the doctor said edward might leave his bed and during nearly the whole of that time his son was in almost constant attendance upon him toward the last permitted himself to run into the city and attend to a little business but his were brief as soon however as his father was pronounced out of danger he was anxious to absent himself for a week or so he made the excuse at home of affairs to attend to in new york while the need of rest

answered the same purpose at the office he dreaded a renewal of the conversations with his father that would certainly refer to the marriage and besides he wanted to seek once more for traces of his lost margaret had not entirely given up his to the english girl even since he returned to boston and he had placed a personal advertisement in two of the papers asking miss m e to communicate with the friend whom she had left so suddenly in new york on such and such a date and promising not to interfere with her in any way providing her circumstances were satisfactory to her he had also offered a reward to whoever would send him information of the present whereabouts of a young woman answering her description and had this announcement inserted not only in new york papers but in those their marriage bond of and philadelphia nothing had been heard from either of these efforts and the young man felt a wild longing to visit again the city where he had last seen his idol in the mad hope that the which had her might cast her up again at his feet he made his plans so that there was no time for his father to talk with him beyond a simple good bye arriving at new york he conferred again with the firm of he had formerly employed and assisted them in searching the various lines which they recommended a week was passed in this way a weary week without a trace of sunshine and the result was nothing whatever what mr sustained in the way of mental pain during that week the reader can only imagine his love for margaret rivers had grown with every hour since she left him his apprehensions for her safety doubled as time passed he even feared that in desperation she had committed suicide and among the he made was a careful inspection of the self destroyed in a dozen cities from lists sent to the by request when he returned to boston his belief that he would never see margaret again was he was actually giving up all hope life would be to him a dreary existence by love of woman a mere round of business cares of plain duties the other thing that troubled him now was the inevitable conflict with his father he had seen this parent hovering on the edge of the grave too recently not to dread the encounter but come it must there was no escape had had no private conversation with the their marriage bond u since he announced his intention of breaking the engagement but on the day of his return from new york mrs sent him a note asking for an interview it served at least as an escape from his father s tongue and when the evening arrived presented himself at the widow s residence was not present for which he was thankful during two hours he was subjected to mrs s ingenious arguments delivered with all her art and in her most agreeable manner she presented the case in a dozen lights in every one of which he seemed a wretch unfit for decent society if he carried out his scheme still he was not moved he replied to everything that he had made up his mind that he could not bring himself to the marriage he was very sorry for he would give anything if he could her pain but marry he would not there was nothing for mrs to do after this but to call on mr and him with the situation the anger of the father when he learned what she had to say knew no bounds when his son came home that night he turned upon him savagely and in a torrent of rage demanded his reasons for this conduct seemed by what he had endured and did not mind as much as he once would have done the that were into his ears he replied over and over that he did not love and that nothing would persuade him to wed her seeing that the mode of attack he was using had no effect edward s tone changed suddenly to a pleading one he said he had a terrible secret to reveal to his son one that made this marriage an absolute necessity for years he explained seeing the astonished look in his son s eyes i have been in financial their marriage difficulties i have prevented the truth being known but if my real condition was public to day i should be in the court miss is rich with an alliance between our families everything would be easy you are my only child is the sole heir of her father it would kill me to have my affairs dragged into the newspapers to refuse this marriage would therefore not merely destroy the happiness of a beautiful girl who has trusted you but would end the life of one who has no other hope to preserve a hitherto honored name the young man was astounded he had imagined while giving no special thought to the matter that his father was comfortably off in this world s goods certainly far beyond the line of poverty they had always lived well a snug sum had been paid into the concern to secure the when he mentioned these things he was told that the money put into the firm was borrowed on heavy interest and with this marriage in view as the only way in which the notes could be taken up it was not a very honorable transaction and he felt it to the quick but he could not reproach a father for what he had done however ill for his benefit he began to grow desperate one by one all the that had sustained his life had fallen away his determination not to marry grew weaker even before he was aware of the change

not help feeling his conduct in some measure deserved and if love for your daughter never finds in my breast he said slowly what then mrs a trifle but the smile of remained and is this all that now stands between you young people she asked as if it was very little indeed all he repeated yes it is all i do not think you realize what an l all it is then let us turn the conversation into more agreeable channels she replied half the marriages that take place nowadays are on that very basis t nine of them come out better than those of young hearts filled with affection the wedding will take place with your consent on the day announced so long ago you will i presume cover from the world any scruples you may have your father s dearest wish will be gratified i shall be delighted and as for yo u and you certainly enter the state with a full understanding on a most important matter there was no use in talking longer with this lady and only saying that he would like a word with his future before he departed he wanted an explicit understanding between the three parties to this compact it is not necessary said mrs understood you perfectly in the first place and you may guess how the repetition of such things to a young girl may be distressing i assure you we have a perfect accord and that i represent her wholly in promising that their marriage bond she shall take your hand in marriage admitting the mental you desire when the young man had gone mrs went immediately to her daughter s room where as she feared she found stretched on a bed dissolved in tears it is done said the voice of her mother there will be no talk of change after this but sobbed the girl raising her woe countenance does he say he never will love me that he will always treat me with coldness was the reply what difference does it make what a man says when he has a fit of temper the point is gained that the ceremony is to occur on the date previously arranged their marriage bond xvi matrimonial to the many friends of the and the families all the struggles through which had passed were entirely unknown the wedding had been announced long before for a certain date and on that date it was to be edward brightened when his son informed him that there was to be no more discussion that he had given his definite word to mrs and would abide by it the elder gentleman thought as lightly as did the widow of the dangers of in a couple whose relations would lack something of harmony as to the financial troubles that annoyed him the elder felt that he would be perfectly justified in presenting the case to mrs when the ceremony was over and asking a loan from the large fortune which her daughter was to inherit the preparations for the event now but a few weeks away with renewed rapidity passed his time at his business office paying occasional brief and very formal calls to his and plunged in a constant state of from which it was impossible to rally him his visits to were without any further talk in reference to the matters that divided them he was going to do the straightforward thing and to carry it off in such a way that the public would never guess his real state of mind that was the new contract he had assumed their marriage bond called occasionally to see his friend sometimes at the office of the company sometimes at the home he alone of the knew that something not down in the bills had happened he had seen in new york in a state but a shade removed from insanity he knew that in spite of every effort the young man was still possessed with the mental disturbance that had then manifested itself it was easy to see that the coming marriage was without joy to him that it was to be entered upon unwillingly or at least without enthusiasm spent many an hour in contemplating the situation but was unable to guess at the mystery he could not ask direct questions and there was nothing to do but watch and wait mr was a frequent visitor also at the home of the his presence there served to divert the attention of from her unpleasant for he was bright and entertaining in spite of the muffled tone which he always used to her when they were alone it is something to any young woman to feel that an eligible youth considers her unusually attractive that he would propose for her hand if he believed there was any chance of success and this was the attitude that constantly seemed to assume you are engaged to my friend i will be true to him in all my words and acts yet i do not think him worthy of you and my heart is heavy both for my loss and his gain to plain words this was what seemed to say over and over to miss without uttering a single syllable that could be into these statements their marriage bond and with him in his distress and thought him the most noble and of men it is only two weeks he said to her one day before you will be a wife how infinitely happy the man must be who looks forward to that hour it was not irony she said to herself as the smote on her brain for certainly could not know the secret so carefully between the two families it was the honest expression of a manly heart it seems he continued as if was going to take away my right to be a friend to you i shall have to all my

conduct when your name is mrs by no means she responded quickly i shall like you just as well as ever and hope to see you just aa often marriage does not compel one to her list of friends and you know you stand very high in mine the emotion that he could so well made him turn his head away lest she read too much in his con countenance then he rose and said he remembered an engagement in the city i am sorry you are going so soon she told him come as frequently as you can and don t fill your head with silly notions that i that mamma and i will like you less after after my marriage she held out her white hand to him and he touched it with his own have you decided where you will live he asked we shall have rooms in the city for the present she replied choking a little at the thought of leaving home he lingered a moment as if he had something else to say and then bidding her a sudden good bye went their marriage bond thoughtfully out of the house and down the walk she watched him till he was out of sight with a poor fellow on her lips and a throb of the purest pity in her heart the wedding took place at the residence instead of in church on account as was stated of the of edward which made it safer for him to avoid the uncertain temperature of a public edifice forced himself to appear in such a manner as to criticism in the morning being alone a moment with he had said to her you understand fully what my to the clergyman will mean and she had answered with a bow and a blush her part in the ceremony was quite as trying as his but both bore themselves well all the expressions with which the church hedges in a couple who have declared their desire to marry were uttered by the clergyman and to by the man and the woman the large gathering of friends of the parties could not suppress a murmur of admiration as appeared she was with even more than her usual taste and her luxuriant beauty of figure showed to the fullest advantage who stood near had a that was not all as he gazed at her it flashed through his mind that his resolutions never to marry would receive a severe could he set back the hands of the clock a few months to own that creature in fee was surely worth the sacrifice of freedom which he had sworn never to make as for mr his habitual was he saw beyond the room in which he stood a on the atlantic and this man who was to join himself in sitting by the side of another their marriage bond woman devoted passionately to her every word and movement he saw the passenger list with the names of mr and mrs and this was less than three months ago it seemed as if he ought to speak when the clergyman asked if any one present knew any reason why this marriage should not proceed but he did not and the that this couple were now man and wife struck like a note of evil on his ear the end of the service marked the beginning of the reception mr and mrs took the hands of a hundred friends and bowed their thanks for the congratulations upon them with admirable nerve they answered smile for smile and neither in the least except on two occasions the husband wa disturbed when he saw mr in front of him and the bride knew that her cold fingers trembled when she placed them in the palm of god bless you my dear son came from the lips of edward when his turn arrived and the face of mrs was positively radiant with satisfaction it was too late to start that night on the wedding journey which was to be taken to the white mountains and therefore a of rooms at the had been engaged for temporary use about ten o clock the wedded pair bade good bye to their friends who would still remain for later and were driven toward the city well said after a few minutes of silence it is done y e s was the response uttered in a trembling tone their marriage bond and you remember oh she interrupted don t let us talk of anything unpleasant just yet i am fearfully nervous from a hundred reasons and a very little will make me give way at these pleading words a wave of shame swept over him he saw how he had been making himself to her he cried i ask your forgiveness i mean to make your situation as agreeable as is possible under the circumstances like you i am in a nervous mood for although i am a man i have had things to make me almost a child here he added let me take your hand let us agree to be friends if nothing else she gave him the hand in its glove and he held it from sheer forgetfulness we ought to reach the hotel in an hour easily he continued that will give a long night to rest as the train we are to take does not leave until nine it is a ride to the mountains i think you told me you had never taken it everything in nature there is at this season to my mind than in the foliage has begun to change and some of the effects are magnificent then the hotel at which we shall stay is one of the best and the drives in the vicinity are superb she listened to him gladly thankful that he should pursue any subject except the one she dreaded and he talked on at random until

the lights of boston began to around them at last the carriage turned a corner and they were in stately avenue passing the homes of princes built as is the street itself their marriage bond upon filled land rescued a quarter century ago the ocean waves at the hotel he had but to mention his name and the apartments engaged were instantly placed at his disposal we had say good night said when they were alone as we both feel fatigued after the events of the day i have engaged three rooms and a bath en you will sleep there only separated by this little from me if you want anything in the night call me at once if you rap on the wall ever so little i shall hear you he had turned away and taken a step from her when his bride overcome by the strange sensations that filled her head touched him on the sleeve as he faced her again she opened her arms and stretched them toward him mr she said don t leave me like this i am afraid to be alone in this house i never was in such a position before if i am shut away from you by a door i shall have her alarm was too real to be doubted and he hastened to calm her both of the open from this he said as you can see i will leave my door wide open and you can do the same there is no entrance to the except this one here which i will now bolt as well as lock we shall be in one room all the time she followed with her eyes the objects at which he pointed but there is no need of haste she protested though in a tone it is still early we can sit up a little while their marriage bond certainly if you wish i am not sleepy to tell the truth wouldn t you like a lunch sent up he said good she assented thinking it the way to time and besides she felt a trifle faint and thought c of something would do her good the effect of the lunch was what should have been expected it restored to both of them something of their natural serenity a little before one o clock proposed of her own accord that they retire her last request of her husband was to make sure that he left his door wide open then she closed her own and in a sort of instinct locked it he had to knock several times in the morning before he could awaken her and on comparing notes at breakfast he admitted that he had also slept very well the first night of their married life had been passed with no especially disagreeable episode this was something on the way to the railway station an event occurred which set all his blood in motion he was talking in an ordinary tone to about the journey they had begun when happening to glance from the carriage window he saw a figure on the that caused his words to in his mouth either there were two women in the world who looked exactly alike or he had beheld margaret rivers in that boston street his impulse was to stop the carriage and run after her but the reasons against this came to his mind with it he might not find her in that crowd with the streets running in fifty different directions if he succeeded there could be no more occasion to learn what he wanted to know he had barely time enough to catch the their marriage bond train he could neither abandon his wife nor ask her to accompany him on his peculiar mission if the english girl was living in boston as from her manner he judged she must be it would be no very difficult matter to her boston was not new york a determined attempt would be almost certain to succeed and besides the ceremony of yesterday which bound him to the woman at his side cut him off forever from the wild hope that margaret s discovery would have brought two days earlier he would hunt for her and if permitted would assist her but to marry her that was now a dead dream of the dead past the carriage was flying rapidly along for the clock on the outside of the station was in sight and the driver realized that he had no time to spare s sudden start had not been lost upon his companion but she had of course not the faintest suspicion of its cause no mood that he would be likely to assume was in any danger of surprising her particularly the horses dashed up to the and entered it the driver descended with alacrity and helped out his passengers three minutes left he said brightly you have your tickets i understand third track on the right during the hours that passed before the house was reached mr said very little to his wife he ordered a lunch for both at the proper hour and assisted in of it the rest of the time he was wrapped in thought was not wholly displeased at this turn in affairs for silence was at least better than a return to distasteful subjects of which she was constantly in dread s manner was courteous and she did not deem it wise to disturb his reverie the first thing he did after arriving at the their marriage bond house was to carry out a project which he had formed during the day he wrote this letter and it to my dear i am going to ask you to do something for me as a lawyer i wish you to treat it as a business matter and to keep it secret as between an attorney and his i think you will remember a mrs who crossed from

to new york on the same boat with you last summer she is in boston and i want her address i you to employ whatever help you need she is also sometimes known by the name of margaret rivers her personal description is known to you upon securing any information which you believe of value please send word to the house n h f where i expect to remain a week very truly n b this is a business matter solely and never to be mentioned between us in any other way k d this letter was delivered to mr on the following afternoon at his boston office he read it through twice and then wrote the following answer mr house n h my dear sir in answer to your communication just received allow me to say that the business which you desire me to does not come within the sphere of the legal profession i have never let me add followed the trade of a spy or a yours when this reached mr he was for a time in a of rage on but as time passed he began to realize how the matter had presented itself to the mind of mr he knew that had passed for ten days at least as the husband of the woman he now sought and every action of his from the day he met him on the boat at to that of his their marriage bond marriage with miss proved that the was now while on his wedding journey he had apparently sought to his friend s aid in the relations it certainly had not an agreeable look and was disposed the more he thought of it to forget the bitter sarcasm of the lawyer s letter however the necessity of finding margaret and of if she had the necessaries of life still remained his marriage had not relieved him of that duty not feeling inclined to his mission again to the he passed a long and dreary week at without doing anything about the matter his mind was so filled with it that he never thought of entering on further debate with his wife as to what their future should be for which she was thankful her life at the hotel was not very cheerful but it might have been worse had he chosen to discuss on all occasions the unhappy questions that divided them the week ended at last and the wedded pair returned to boston where the rooms they expected to occupy for the winter were ready to receive them both were glad to return she wanted to see again her mother and he believed it could be but a few days now before he would stand face to face with margaret their marriage bond chapter what do you expect mr as the reader is already aware was not a man of virtue possessed of a handsome face and figure dressed invariably by the best endowed with the most agreeable manners and with a fortune to spend as he pleased he found much satisfaction in the society of the fair sex and did not limit his acquaintance to those of character a pretty face was as apt to attract him among the crowd on a or at a public entertainment as if he had been introduced in the most formal manner he tried to believe himself a very miserable person when he returned to his rooms in the city on the night of s marriage the physical charms of the bride had appealed to his senses in an unusual degree he had known women who were beautiful but none of them possessed the attractions that had gone to this fellow who was as fit he thought to judge their value as a wooden image he tossed on his bed and found sleep only when the morning light began to the room in which he lay the next day he was gloomy and hid himself from his usual associates the third day he was a little better but still in the evening he went for a walk among the by streets of the city for the sake of getting the air and still run no risk of meeting acquaintances the extent to which the present mrs had filled their marriage bond his mind did not however prevent his noticing each comely face or pretty form that he encountered and at one of the corners he met a young girl in whose personality he was immediately interested the face into which he looked was not exactly handsome and yet it had a fascination it that fixed and held the there seemed a whole history in the large dark eyes at once shrinking and inquiring the girl s dress was very plain and its materials were black interested to a remarkable degree almost before he was aware of it mr followed the figure which had turned at the corner and gone down a side street he was idle he had nothing else to do if anything came of this pursuit well and good if nothing resulted what would it matter it was soon apparent that the girl was walking in much the same way as himself with no particular destination she crossed her own path several times going up a street and down another returning as often as otherwise to the original several times light remarks were addressed to her by young fellows at the corners the only attention she paid to these observations was to her pace without turning her head mr managed to keep the girl in sight without appearing to to be on her trail he noted with pleasure that she was not apparently a woman of the town judged by her lack of attention to the remarks alluded to she was either what she seemed a virtuous girl or searching for a lover who was expected to keep in this vicinity she was poor without a doubt and

those who possess wealth always expect to derive an their marriage bond advantage from th poverty of others she was following at last seeing the girl go into a street which had but one outlet waited and watched her she must either enter one of the houses on this short way or return it was soon evident that she was going to pursue the latter course for she showed signs of surprise when she reached the end of the street and discovered that it went no farther she came back slowly and when she reached mr there were no other persons within hearing i beg your pardon miss he said in a pleasant voice and stepping in front of her may i speak to you for a moment it was the first time she had noticed him for her eyes had been fastened upon the pavement during most of her walk she looked up with a startled surprise a glance told her that he was a very well dressed gentleman and her natural instinct whispered that he could want nothing good of her i do not know you she responded in a trembling voice you have no right to address me she resumed her walk more rapidly than before but who knew the lessons of street acquaintance by heart was not in the least discouraged by the he followed after her murmuring in the sweetest voice that she ought not to him that she had his highest respect and that if she would give him but a minute he would prove the assertion it was a sight familiar enough in most cities as the pair on their journey through the streets they were observed by more than one who stopped and surveyed them with an air of amusement the girl was walking fast with her face turned from the their marriage bond man at her side whose nothing from the manner in which his addresses were received the increased as the girl he home laughter came from various groups at the spectacle created but the feather that was to break the hack of the came when a half drunken from the against which he had been leaning and put his hand on the girl s shoulder while he shouted a wholly invitation in her ear the girl stopped as if she had been shot and shook with fear the disagreeable quality of mr s were as nothing compared with this assault his tones had at least been kindly his words those of a gentleman in the in which she wag now placed she turned instinctively to him for protection from the greater danger oh sir was all she could articulate but her wish was clearly understood taking the by the whirled him around like a top ending by leaving him in a heap on the pavement luckily the fellow found no sympathy from his companions who seemed rather pleased than otherwise at his seeing that the coast was now clear and that an opportunity wholly unexpected had placed the young woman under obligations to him drew her not unwilling arm through his own and lost no time in putting a good distance between them and the late collision i thank you very much indeed said the feminine when they were safely away from the place and now if you please leave me here i am obliged to go home my dear child interrupted let me at least accompany you to your door you are possessed with a notion that i intend you some harm and are almost aj their marriage pond much afraid of me as you were of that rascal below i am a gentleman and have lived in boston all my life i wonder what there is about me that makes you want to run away do i really look such a terrible villain she stole another glance at him and was partially reassured by the engaging smile on his countenance it is not that sir she stammered but there is nothing in common between a poor girl like me and an elegant gentleman like you if you wish to do me a real kindness you will leave me here to be insulted by another drunken be exclaimed no i must see you safely home it is you are not used to the treatment you have just received i judge that you are a stranger in boston in spite of herself she was being drawn into to his proposition and she felt herself growing less and less afraid ts i have not lived here long she responded her walk i do not know the streets very well i only left my room to breathe the air with no errand in view he laughed brightly t how remarkable he said f that is exactly my own case i had spent the whole day indoors and felt the necessity of a stroll do you live far here no she named the street j think it is only five minutes i can find it sir alone and i am sure no one will me now but he would not listen the street to which she was bound he said was on the direct road he was obliged to take and it was best that they go together at the doorway of a poor lodging house she stopped and announced that this was where she lived their marriage bond the extreme poverty of the surroundings would ordinarily have prevented a wish to go farther but there was something about this girl that made mr especially loth to leave her does your family live here he asked surveying the front of the house i have no family she replied i am all alone the sympathy written on his face aroused an answering in the girl s breast she did not like to be to him don t think me inquisitive he said but i am wonderfully interested in you you work for a

living i suppose she bowed her head with a blush i do sewing it does not pay very well i am afraid she did not answer she was trying to think of the best way to end the conversation she had reached her home now and there was no longer any excuse for his remaining a rough looking man came out of the house and addressed the it is against the rules to talk on the in front of the house he said harshly either take your friend inside or go away with him quick to seize the opportunity mr took advantage of the girl s confusion and replied certainly we will go in just for a moment he added in a low tone there was no way to stop him except by a debate which she did not wish her landlord to hear and the girl led the way uneasily to the third floor where she paused with a key in her hand their marriage bond you claim to be a gentleman she said then in tones of entreaty if you are one i beg you to leave me i will do so in three minutes if you insist he replied lowering his voice to go now would subject me to suspicion from that pleasant proprietor of yours why my child i wouldn t harm you for the world he took out his watch three minutes i swear it she inserted the key in the lock and let him follow her the room into which they entered was poorly furnished but as neat as possible he took in everything at a glance you see she said biting her lips there is nothing to attract you i am a poor working girl nothing more as i supposed he replied but i also see that you were not always in that rank you have had an education your speech and manners show that you were well born and have moved in better society no don t speak just yet i am of my promise i have hardly two minutes left i want you to do me a favor she surveyed him with wide open eyes her expression not with doubt i want you to accept a little present she shrank away exclaiming no no but he persisted let us not waste time he held the watch in his hand while he talked i have a fortune the income of which is several times greater than my wants there is no sensible reason why you should not accept a trifle when it is so evident that you can find good use for it he laid several bank notes on the table their marriage bond what do you expect in return for this money she asked in return for the money nothing to be candid however i do hope that you will let me call again now i have convinced you that my purposes are honorable she sat down and commenced to weep by the promise i made and which i mean to keep said i have less than a minute left before i go will you tell me your name so that i may have the appearance of an honest man when i call for you there was a knock on the door hastily wiping her eyes the young woman went to open it well have you got the rent said a voice which recognized at once as that of the disagreeable person he had seen below stairs to morrow i will get it she answered with a feeling of shame that the gentlemanly appearing visitor should hear the demand you have told me that twice i do not run a free lodging house i shall wait no longer in the you will be put out you understand the man s steps were heard descending and the girl back into the room with renewed tears on her cheeks mr stood there awaiting her my time has all expired said he putting the watch in his pocket shall i go she looked at him with blinded eyes and then at the on the table don t leave that money she said i cannot take it you prefer to let the fellow who just called execute his threat she drew a long breath as of despair their marriage bond if he puts you out to morrow what will you do ah cried lifting her hands there is always a last resort and you would rather embrace it than take this money which i you freely she seemed to consider the two horns of the i promised you to go in three minutes he said i am ready to keep my word but is it not best that i sit down with you a moment longer and see if we cannot have an understanding she nodded him to resume his seat in a moment so very desolate it wag better to run some than to be left alone with her grief in he first place he continued take that money and put it in your purse it is yours i shall not touch it again under any circumstances he pushed it toward her with the hat that he held in his hand and she obeyed him mechanically though with evident reluctance now won t you tell me your name why do you want it because i feel that we ought not to end our acquaintance here because i believe that when you have thought a little longer you will say i may come again but she exclaimed turning red you can have only one object a man does not seek the company of a poor girl like me unless she was unable to proceed and you won t even tell me what name they call you he asked with his most winning smile you could find that by asking below she replied as if in thought it is mrs that is better he said but

have done without me added how have you borne the first long separation we have ever had but you should tell me at least this has he been kind to you he certainly has now please drop the subject and do not refer to it again if there was anything very wrong i should surely tell you but i am now a married woman and cannot discuss my husband with any person not even with the dearest and best mother in the world coupled with the and of tones there was the most perfect determination the widow felt with a of pain that the child she had parted from a week before would never back to her with their marriage bond i the judgment which years had taught her she refrained however from pursuing the line she had begun and led the conversation into the details of the journey to new the married couple had ascended mount washington passed a night there ridden to the house afterward visiting the and the other prominent the mountains between the lines of this recital the mother sought in vain to gather something that would answer the uppermost in her mind had learned discretion and if nothing more during the first week of her wedded life in the library on the other side of the hall a door had also swung on its hinges pushed by the cane of a elderly gentleman in an you rascal he exclaimed are you satisfied now that i did you a service by driving your nonsense out of your head i thought a week with that creature would change your mind you are the happiest and the best looking couple in to day had himself to expect some such remark and he smiled into his father s face though a cold shudder came to his heart how has your health been he asked i did not expect you would write anything to worry me whatever way you felt splendid was the reply i haven t been so well for years one of my chief troubles has been my worry about you yes in spite of my faith that you would come out all right i fretted a great deal till it was over there is only one thing now to wholly relieve my mind and that is the money i shall have to ask of mrs i need but fifteen thousand dollars a their marriage bond to her why was said to be worth six hundred thousand when he died and they can t have used half the income for the past fifteen years bowed he felt few of conscience or of pride that his father should have to ask the mother of his wife for pecuniary aid they had been bound to bring about the marriage let them settle these things to suit themselves he was getting hardened did you notice chuckled mr how they withdrew to the parlor as soon as they could safely do so women are on secrets and you actually came near losing that prettiest of her sex you would never have forgiven yourself if you had seen her married to another man there s one too who would have given everything he possesses to have owned her he came out here after you went away and he looked like a ghost the surprise on the son s face asked the question his lips did not utter you never saw it never dreamed of it no i ll not said the father with another chuckle at his own why has been madly in love with for ever so long now don t get excited he added as the son gave an unmistakable start he s never said a word nor given a hint to her knowing that she was picked out for you but he couldn t hide his sentiment from an old like me i ve seen him in her drawing room when the house was full of people talking to everybody else keeping as far away as he could and yet hardly taking his eyes from her at the wedding he was as white as a sheet the honest loyal fellow she was destined for you that was enough their marriage bond for him he d have dropped dead before he d have spoken the closing expression conveyed to the depth of mr s honest passion more fully than the most elaborate sentence could have done i wish to god he had not been so particular he cried in his soul he little thinks what a favor he would have done me if he had paid no attention to my rights and pressed his suit to a favorable conclusion but this is not what he said to his father i never noticed any of these things he remarked and it was evident their interest had ceased for him i did not think a man who would ever marry he never will now said the father he s had a under the fifth at an early hour the young couple took a train for the city with affectionate from their elders mrs tried to read in the eyes of her son in law what she could not learn from her daughter but the page was equally blank what time shall i expect you to morrow asked as she received the maternal kiss of parting about twelve i shall only stay to lunch as i have friends to dinner at noon would be away he did not lunch at home you re not going without kissing me too are you said edward you are my daughter now you know flashed a look of inquiry at her husband who nodded impatiently what was the sense in she might kiss every man in for all he cared their marriage bond in the train they said little to each other but they retired she had a talk with him you were very nice to mamma i

want to thank you your mother has always been very nice to me he replied coolly there was a pause of some seconds wanted to know mamma did about whether everything was all right between us and you told her of course he snapped no that is what i want to say i said i never should discuss my husband with anybody not even her i felt sure that you would adopt the same course toward me that you would not tell any one there was the least division he was somewhat by her statement and by the manner in which it was made but he had too many upon his heart to act very cheerfully i shall do my best to conceal everything he said and i think you have acted wisely your mother is a shrewd woman however and you will have to be always on guard seemed to accept the situation he was pleased at her attitude for he had nothing but the best of wishes for her and he knew her position would not be a happy one they had got to live under the same roof and meet many acquaintances with the face they could he did not want his affairs the theme of public gossip if it could he helped only two days passed before edward addressed a letter to mrs in it he stated the extreme reluctance with which he to her a condition of his affairs which he had succeeded by the strongest efforts from revealing to the world in gen their marriage bond the comfortable fortune which he had at one tim possessed had been lost with the exception of the house in which he lived by unfortunate even the was pledged though the writings were not recorded for more than half it was worth these troubles had come with loss of health and bodily strength and it was idle to think of them by any action of his as you and i he added have but one child each now united in and as the future of our lands should keep them in one property i make this proposition i will deed my estate to and if you will advance the sum necessary to relieve it from debt i have not much longer to live and my wants will be few my son is in business which cannot fail to give him a and enable him to care for me the little time i shall remain on earth it was in the middle of the morning that this note was sent to mrs s residence and it was less than half an hour later that the lady came to mr s in a state of high excitement and asked to see him alone what does this letter mean she cried as if distracted it cannot i am sure it cannot be anything but a joke a of yours to try me i wish heartily that it was not answered mr sadly but alas there is no hope for it the lady staggered to a chair and falling into it covered her face with her hands and sobbed never having seen her except in the happiest moods mr was intensely shocked at this exhibition my dear lady he said calm yourself how can there be anything in my proposal to cause this outburst true i might have told you of my pecuniary condition before my son s but i had no reason to sup their marriage bond pose it would make the slightest difference with you we have been friends so long i knew that you and were rich and mrs struggled to speak several times before she could make herself heard knew we were rich she ejaculated at last why we are beggars every dollar my husband left has vanished one after another has proved bad my estate like yours is involved and i intended to ask your aid before another week had passed poor she cried with sobs she has sacrificed herself for nothing the invalid sat up in his chair and eyed her your property all gone too he repeated your fortune of over half a million and sacrificed herself explain the woman tried to regain her composure for it was evident that this man s sufferings were as acute as her own it is gone i tell you she said we hardly own the furniture and a loan the place we live in never liked the thought of marrying your son she leaned toward another match a young man who her and who has an fortune in his own right but i in a silly desire to join these estates and believing you the rich man you were held her to my will i have wrecked her life and my own it is a judgment on me the invalid leaned toward her and drank in the words the young man you refer to is he said yes with more than a million to his credit good family intelligence everything and my miserable their marriage bond child has married your son in the face of his assertion that he will never be a husband to her that all she shall ever have will be his name is it not enough to drive one mad how can i meet her and confess my fearful error afraid that she would go into a fit of mr suggested in a low voice that his visitor should be conducted back to her residence by one of his servants and the rest of the conversation to another day she accepted the idea and the housekeeper being summoned escorted her from the house edward sank back in his so this was the end of the kindness he had tried to do married to a girl he did not like with that awful agreement married with a father and a wife with only the meagre income of a sub all his bright prospects gone how

could the father face the son how could he bear to look into the countenance of that beautiful girl whose lips he had kissed two days ago how could he hold up his feeble head when the came to him from the home where he had lived for thirty years to hear the laugh of the thoughtless crowd at one who had made a failure of life after more than half a century of struggle his dear boy he recalled the little fellow in his cradle the child coming home from school the young man whose future he had deemed secure who would have guessed that the handsome fortune of had to the sea worms that without being perceived until the crash comes existence had been too great a burden to the sick man before this now it could be borne no longer he knew where in a cupboard was a little from their marriage bond which he was wont to take carefully by the doctor s orders a few measured drops when all other methods fail to induce sleep he took his stout cane in his hand and to the closet he reached for the bottle and securing it in his shaking fingers returned to his but ere he could out the deadly the angel anticipated his act a pain seized him in the left side that made him drop the poison and cry out a servant who ran in attracted by the cry saw that consciousness had fled the physician summoned immediately said that a of blood had in the brain and that the life of edward was ended their marriage bon d chapter xix watching for his prey the death of his father seemed to the last drop in his cup of misery within three weeks he had been left an orphan married a woman whom he could never learn to love and discovered that the only girl who had ever touched his heart was not only living but had been within a few miles of him when he gave her up for lost the financial crisis by mr s death did not add to the pleasure of the general situation it was plain that the home in which he was born would soon belong to others and that of his father s estate but a very little if anything would remain from the mrs was taken violently ill when he went to visit her she could only talk of her troubles and of ths error she had committed in her child to the care of a husband he learned the condition of her affairs which were now little better than his own somehow he was not moved by her recital his wrongs as he viewed the matter were too great to admit of much sympathy for those who had caused them he attended strictly to the business of his firm and was gaining gradually a place in the world of trade that would be recognized the hope that he would be able with additional capital to buy a larger share in the concern died out he had nothing but his hands and brain these he must use to the best of his ability the who had been engaged to search for their marriage bond kiss reported at the end of ten days that he could not find the faintest trace of her not feeling justified in spending money on what seemed a useless quest paid the man and let him go he could not help however walking the street at all sorts of late hours watching in the crowds for the missing face he also inserted a notice in the boston herald thinking that it might possibly reach her eye but the heavy weeks passed and nothing developed it was a dull life he lived as a married man it was necessary to go to certain places with to avoid talk and he performed such duties with the best grace possible most of the day was passed at business he ate dinner with her and stayed perhaps an hour after it before he went out for his stroll she had developed admirable qualities of judgment not only was there no collision between them but there appeared no danger of any he grew to feel at his ease in his wife s presence a third person could sit at their table and not suspect that he saw the greatest that ever passed between them as the time approached when mrs s affairs must be made public that lady made efforts to save her home and name she went from one money to another using her most efforts to obtain help but everywhere the smiles which were by her charming manner faded before the cold plain statement of the value of her property and the amount of her at last when all else failed she herself of a wealthy friend of whom it was strange she had not thought before mr was not in the money business but he had abundant means and was certainly able to assist the their marriage bond widow if he wished she caught him at her own house one day when he had come for a call and told him her entire story so you see both my estate and that of the she said in conclusion are liable to go to the money for what is hardly half their value it will generally be noted that people refer to those who have them money as everybody that land will be very valuable in a few years look at the back bay district land there for twelve dollars a square foot that was worth but forty cents a few years ago there is talk of running a great through and the entire length of it will almost certainly pass through these properties and that means a fortune to the owners what a pity to sacrifice all that remains to this young couple when

if it could be kept for a short time it might make them rich mr admitted the of the lady s and asked what assistance he could be in the ease why i thought when the is so safe she replied that you might lend a sufficient sum on the combined estates to free them and perhaps allow a little over for my own small wants you would of course have ample security and there is no possibility that you would lose anything all men with money have their favorite and real estate in the was not one of mr s i will think about this mrs he said doubtfully but in the meantime make inquiries elsewhere excuse me but a proposition of this sort is a business matter and must be considered from that their marriage bond there is some on both properties i think you said yes she nodded twenty thousand of it being on yours alone she again assented i shall have to talk with of course he said instead of talking with at once however he went to call on his pretty wife during a part of the day when he knew the husband would be absent it was not the first call that had made and thought nothing strange about it she always mentioned it to when he came home and he only nodded as if it did not interest him much s evenings were naturally taken up a good deal while his mornings wore heavily he called in sometimes at the and took out to lunch with him was a good fellow he had wanted to marry and had lost her if it was any pleasure to him to call and see her mr did not know why any one should object liked him she always had liked him it was a delight to hear his name mentioned by the one maid that she kept and to see his face in her little flat he still wore the air of a man who has loved and lost but he bore his injuries with the grace of one who would die sooner than utter a complaint he had no reason to suspect the extent of the between his married friends that they were in the enjoyment of their natural felicity he would not have considered it the proper time even were his intentions of breaking into the fold ever so pronounced to commence the task the knows enough to wait until the quarrels begin till he their marriage bond finds the object of his hope with eyes till to his about her husband s state of health she answers i don t know and don t care it was one of the great points of s success with women that he could play a waiting game he was among men what russia is among nations for at least three years he had made up his mind that the day should come when he would possess being cautious fearful of danger he had decided early that he would wait till after her marriage he had never felt such an attraction toward a human being the other that had occupied his time were only flitting fancies this was the one passion of his entire life as has been said he repented when he saw her in garments that he had not broken his resolution to live and die unmarried he ought to have taken this lovely creature to his own arms and her safe from all the world rather than give her for ever so short a time to another he had a now like the lover writes of to think he had permitted her to marry but so well did he carry himself in the presence of both of them that neither dreamed of the project hidden in his breast mr knew that s reputation in regard to women was somewhat shady and yet he was received in the best houses while nobody seemed able to swear to anything against him mrs knew even less than this for the side of life was to her little more than a vague mist that there were men whose chief aim in life is to ruin pure women she had not even heard on the day after his talk with mrs mr called on in the course of his conversation he alluded to what mrs had told him their marriage bond i don t suppose your respected mother how much she asks me to do he said with a of those properties may as she says grow valuable some time in the future but land itself up with interest and taxes it s all right for a family that wants a country place to buy one and get enough satisfaction out of there to pay for the carrying charges but as an it s quite another matter nodded as if she saw the point but he read in her face that she was thinking of her mother s sorrow if it was still your home that would be a different thing he mused i wouldn t let them take the roof from over your head but you are married he down something in his throat and will probably not live there again as you are so kind she interposed quickly let me say that it is my mother s home and that it will break her heart if she has to leave it but i don t want to influence you i know nothing about money matters i supposed there would always be more than enough and i don t understand now what became of it all a torrent began to within him he said it was nothing unusual for him to call her by her christian name do you ask me to save that home for your mother i cannot ask you she stammered turning rosy i have no right if you can do it without loss he

watched her narrowly it makes little difference whether i lose or not he murmured as if to himself i am responsible to no one i never shall marry now poor fellow how lie had loved her and but for a their marriage bond cruel combination of circumstances she might at this moment have been his proud wife rich and happy i am going to try to save that home for your mother he said after a pause i won t undertake to count s in too but your mother s i will certainly look into she rose and came to his chair putting both her hands in his like a child i shall owe you an eternity of gratitude she exclaimed her eyes beaming how can i ever repay you the time will come he answered the carpet as if he feared to meet her gaze i am sure the time will come when i shall need all your kindness and consideration she had not the least idea what he could mean but she answered that if that time ever came he would have it fully i don t say this merely because of your generous conduct in this matter she added but you seem to me more than an ordinary friend more like what i suppose a brother would be if i had had one it was difficult to conceal the exultation that filled his heart he would have the value of a dozen estates like her mother s just to hear those words upon the subject through a in whom he had confidence found to his delight that the he had been asked to make was not a bad one by any means the security was well nigh perfect and the chance of appreciation in value considered more than an to any present risk the suggested of his own accord that a on one of the adjoining estates would be a good thing to secure as in the event of the building of the projected their marriage bond the larger the area covered the better so mr went to mr with a proposition to carry out the idea of his dead father the properties and making him and his wife the joint owners he was willing to pay off all the and give to mrs besides taking a blanket from the new owners remarked with a sigh that perhaps if his father had been able to accomplish this result he might now be alive and he then accepted the offer with thanks though it must be confessed without enthusiasm he did not care a great deal now about pecuniary gains the were made and the executed and mr figured with the aid of his that the interest would probably compel the to surrender the whole area whenever it should be deemed wise f him to take it he was ready at one moment to sacrifice everything in pursuing his favorite game he was never averse to being for his powder and shot in his nature as in that of so many other men lust and often went hand in hand was agreed upon by all the parties in interest to attend to the legal matters mrs mentioned him mr the suggestion warmly and mr saw no reason why he should object the sharp answer that had made to s letter was not forgotten but it was only fair to say that not understanding the true situation there was some excuse for the tone he had used the worst of it was there was no way of himself in the eyes of the attorney even in a small degree but by telling the whole miserable story came to the flat occupied by mr and mrs their marriage bond for his instructions he was the same pale tall slender fellow as of old and he seemed confused as he glanced from one to the other who kept eyes on him as he wrote imagined he could see in his very attitude an objection to the scheme he was engaged to forward it was an odd conception for how was there any way in which the details could interest the man of law except in their legal aspect mr deeds his property to me said mr and mrs makes the same disposition of hers the on both is to be cleared off at the time then i the combined estate with a of to mr after which it is conveyed to mr and mrs as sole owners mr devoted himself to his work and presently bowing and bidding good bye to all present on the day the transaction was completed mr returned from the of deeds with mr in a carriage well it s done he remarked as if relieved i ve had the satisfaction of doing a favor to friends and at the same time i don t know as i ve run much risk forty thousand ought to be safe on eighty acres of land within seven miles of the state house the security is all right responded in a deep voice and your claim is on the land so far i ve been your friend and attorney but and he raised his voice if you ever try to put your claim elsewhere than on the land i m your enemy why are j ou insane was the startled inquiry of his companion perhaps said the lawyer if you do anything in this matter you ll find an extraordinary method in my madness their marriage xx a few little lies it is not difficult to account for the fact that neither nor the he hired found any trace of margaret or margaret as she now called herself owing to the financial assistance which gave her she was to take rooms in the of where she remained most of the time venturing very seldom into the city the intelligence offices did not know her the shops where hundreds of women

are employed had never seen her face the for teachers and had no such person on their books the of which were thoroughly could not count her among their unfortunate inmates the procession of women who march up and down the avenues had not been by the english girl the condition approaching in which she had found herself soon after escaping from mr altered the entire course of the life she had to lead it was idle to expect a position in a family where there were children to with this fact always ready to bar her progress although she might have convinced a would be employer that she was an honest married woman he would not have cared to engage a whose physical situation rendered her liable to at any time there remained nothing but sewing sewing done at her home and as she told mr the for this was very slight indeed the ladies who their marriage bond rejoice over the to be found in our big stores think seldom it is probable of the meagre wages that must have been paid to the miserable fingers that wrought the articles they buy there is a tragedy in many a bit of lace in hundreds of delicate that are praised as being so wonderfully cheap to pay for the poor room she occupied and obtain even bread to eat was more than miss had been able to do up to the time mr met her without spending the of the little sum that remained in her purse when she left new york she came to boston quite by accident if anything may fairly be called an accident in this strange world her fear of mr drove her to leave new york on the second day after her arrival there she knew almost nothing about the united states and in his conversation with her had never happened to mention the name of the city where his office was she the newspapers and hit upon the advertisement of the line of that the new england capital with the metropolis the words to boston and all other new england points caught her eye and struck her fancy new england it was something to think of a section bearing the name of her native country and the fare was very low that is how she came to in the city of her late lover in her search for a place where he would be the least likely to find her before she left new york margaret took a precaution which instinct taught her might be essential she purchased a wedding ring and wore it as a sign that she had a right to the name of mrs which she felt impelled to retain to be in the situation of a mother without the which excuses that con their marriage bond was more than she could bear to face poverty hardship want that was something for which she could prepare to meet the lip the scornful eye or the laugh was more than she deemed herself able to endure it may be wondered at by some that margaret consented to accept the assistance offered by a perfect stranger but if the reader will try for one moment to put himself in her place he may be better able to understand when entered her poor room she had not enough money to pay her landlord the paltry dollar and a half which he as her weekly rent she had proved that her ability at sewing was not sufficient to fight much longer against the tide the dread of either shame or death her energies and her brain hunger drives a human being to queer devices the lack of a shelter leads a girl to think of warmth and comfort even in the company of a man whose attentions disgust and whose presence she but to margaret the knowledge of her condition made this prospect doubly horrible she firmly resolved that a plunge in the waters of the charles must follow the failure of her attempts to live without her offspring opposed to such a prospect as this the offer of mr can be viewed in a different light there was no choice between death and the acceptance of a little money proffered in what seemed a good spirit by a man who said that the sum was nothing to him those who at margaret s decision ought to be placed in the game for a few hours on s second visit to the room where he had her he stayed a long time he drew from the girl their marriage bond a statement of her life altered only at the point where the necessity of deception forced itself upon her she told him of her english birth her eastern youth with her father of captain death and then of meeting mr an american gentleman who had with her loss so strongly as to offer her his aid and at last his hand in marriage it was on the way to america she said after only a few weeks of wedded life that he died on the passage and left her to land in a strange country nearly have you hunted up his relations asked mr perhaps he has some property that belongs to no she replied she did not even know in what state he resided being entirely ignorant of this part of the world and trusting to him but she was sure he was not a man of fortune he was a clerk in some large establishment she had gathered from his conversation she had given some time to the preparation of this story and the listener had no suspicion that it was in any degree false she looked like the innocent girl she was represented you married mr without knowing very much about him he i knew that i loved him and i would have trusted him to the world s end the

to rely upon him wholly still paid frequent visits to the household he went there often when was out and not when he was in the slight mystery that he discovered in the relations of the young couple interested him there was something strange in their attitude toward each other that he could not yet until he understood this better he felt that it was no time for him to advance his lines whenever was spoken of in his presence into a set expression of countenance that was absolutely the wife did a little better having to some extent acquired the art of but there was a trifle of for which the could not account one day when he was alone with mrs he found her in such a state of that he determined to risk a question you ll pardon an inquiry from such an old friend as i am won t you he said certainly she answered looking up surprised are you perfectly happy with the of the question was his salvation it did not look like a attempt to into affairs that were not his own i do not suppose she replied that anybody has perfect happiness in this world they should he responded during their and with the right kind of woman a ought to last a lifetime it was a very pretty sentiment and she thought it did him credit mr is very kind she remarked their marriage bond but he seems to have something weighing on his mind his father s death distressed him very much his business at the office is very too he returns tired and not inclined to she was ready to meet him at every point and he changed his a little i am going to talk with him if he has anything in the way of trouble i shall find out what it is why it is perfectly dreadful for a man to be in his mood when he ought to be in the seventh heaven of contentment what would mr say she wondered if he knew the truth she said in an outburst of emotion you ought to have a good pure sweet wife of your own yes i am sure you would appreciate such a woman at her full value he shook his head it will never be he said there are reasons which i cannot tell you he flitted between the house in town and the house in never dreaming how closely they were related to each other and he was present in the parlor of the when the physician came down to tell them that mrs was the mother of a fine healthy boy and was doing very well indeed their marriage bond xxi takes a hand never for a moment had ceased to think of his lost margaret although every effort failed although he sank into a deep despondency over his unhappy situation and indulged in painful dreams as to what life she might now be leading he resolved in his inmost heart to be true to her memory she was the woman he ever had ever could love he thought often of the letter that had sent him and determined that he would some day confide his story to the young lawyer for the double purpose of setting him right on the request so treated and also for the bare relief of dividing with some confidential person the secret that him mr had never met him alone since that occurrence when they encountered each other in public places the of the lawyer s nod showed that he still held his former opinion of a man who would cross the ocean with a mistress just before his arranged marriage to a beautiful girl and while on his wedding tour write to a friend to ascertain the address of the he had either lost or deserted the early spring arrived before put his intention into practice one day he went directly to mr office and asked a private interview i want to tell you a story of a personal nature and to get your advice and assistance he said as the cold blue eyes of his companion were raised to his their marriage bond is it a legal matter asked shortly i don t know how much it may prove so responded but at least there is no reason why you should treat me like a stranger when we had learned i am sure to regard each other as friends the stern expression on the lawyer s face did not i considered the letter you sent me an insulting one said he so i supposed from your answer what i wish to show you is that it was not so intended to do that i shall have to refer to events some time previous come don t be too severe until you have heard all i don t know why i should hear all or anything was the reply you have your own attorney why do you not tell these things to him that would not do said mr i want you to see that i have a right to be still your friend and having established that point i want to talk to you as one friend talks to another mr seemed to what you say is to be under the seal of confidence between a man and his i presume said he i will leave that to you but i should rather call it between one gentleman and another mr lip curled slightly go on he said but say nothing that you are likely to repent thank you said let me begin then by referring to our meeting on the steamer at i had at that time as you observed a young lady under my protection their marriage bond who was as your wife or that of the which you assumed broke in will not dispute you said choking when i first saw

you on the deck i pretended that you my identity you may guess i was not anxious to meet any person who knew me a moment s reflection taught me that it was foolish to carry out the and i went to you frankly and admitted the deception you know very well that i continued to pose as the husband of that lady during the voyage and that we went ashore together now i want to ask this question would that fact in itself make my friendship a thing you would desire to end the clock in the office loudly while mr was forming his reply in itself no he said at last i do not pretend to the morals of my acquaintances as regards a certain class of women at the expression but this lady with me was not a member of the class to which you refer said he quickly annoyed that margaret should rest even for a second under such an that makes me a little more doubtful as to what i should say to your first question said the lawyer i should have to knew the whole history of your acquaintance with her and that of course i neither expect nor desire you must understand this matter as far as you hear it at all exactly as it is said the lady to whom you were introduced as mrs was as pure as an angel up to the day she and i landed at i think you had best tell me no more it can do no their marriage bond good interrupted the attorney with great uneasiness of manner it certainly will do much harm to leave my story at this point was the reply at the risk of your final condemnation i entreat you to hear me through mr who had risen from his chair resumed his seat and put himself in the position of a listener though without speaking ft we were both violently in love pursued mr there was no deceit no promises no entreaties i had told her that i was engaged to he married to a girl for whom i had not the least affection good god cried mr sharply which was true to the life of my dearly loved father threatened hy any resistance to his will i had consented to have the ceremony performed after telling both mrs and that i should never let it be anything more than a string of words but when i met the lady whom you saw the first real passion of my heart sprang up and overwhelmed me i saw that to carry out my promise in america was to condemn myself to a lifetime of misery and i resolved at whatever cost to refuse but when i related the circumstance to margaret to mrs i mean she saw the matter in a light that i could not have expected admitting that she loved me that i was dearer to her than all else she declared that she would not step between me and the woman to whom i was engaged she was an orphan recently become so and nearly she had no relations to whom she could go and her future had not a single ray of sunlight in it unless she became my wife still no argument that i could make had any effect upon her she might die starve find bread in somebody s their marriage bond kitchen but she would not take a sweetheart from another even though the man swore that he would never have the marriage with that other woman performed mr had become interested at last a noble girl a magnificent girl he cried with enthusiasm you are right from a certain admitted mr sadly but the effect was as disastrous as could be conceived having determined that she could not would not marry me and that she never would love another this strange girl lived as my wife for the next fortnight under the reasoning that it would resign me when i came to reflect to parting with one who had the moral law and conventional usage of the world and you ten times wiser than she accepted this sacrifice said with a frown accepted it i loved that girl with all my soul i could not bear the thought of losing her i wanted to take her to america with me i succeeded in getting her to make the voyage which she had sworn she would not take she drew out of me a promise that when we reached new york i would find her a situation and leave her this i intended to do i meant to help her to earn an honest and then to leave the rest to fate but before we had been on shore an hour she and escaped me i have seen her since but once and then only for an instant from the window of a carriage the trembling voice and dejected manner of mr told but too plainly the sincerity of his statement she deserted you without the least quarrel asked mr when our relations were the happiest i their marriage bond she was afraid that if she remained where i could see her i would not return to what she considered my e duty and marry miss she preferred all the risks of life in a strange city with a nearly empty purse to leading me out of what seemed to her the right path have you tried seriously to find her then related the various means he had taken to gain information about margaret and told of seeing her face in the crowd as he went to the station with his bride after he had come to believe her dead you see now he added why i wrote you from the house and i think you are at least relieved from the impression that i wanted anything of you hut what was decent and

rapidly she had a good constitution and the care which was given her prevented any backward step her mind was immensely relieved by the change in her surroundings and though the thought of never left her she was reconciled in a dumb sort of way to what she regarded as the inevitable never having heard anything about him not supposing that he was within a hundred miles of her she always pictured him as a reconciled to his wife and probably glad that his wild notion of marrying a stranger had been as to mr who had after a while confided to her his real name she could not understand his kindness but she accepted it for what it appeared thinking that sufficient unto the day is the evil a thrown to the waves cannot be too particular upon which shore she is cast the good feeling between mr and had never been broken in spite of the veiled threats of the latter over the name of mrs himself one day that it would be a jolly idea to take out to and show him the mother and child there without saying in so many words that the baby was his own he could convey that impression and divert the lawyer s mind from who was still the direct object in all s plans margaret was an amusement of the hour was the passion of a lifetime at least this is what mr believed in regard to his sentiments and as far as they influenced his conduct it had the same effect as if it were true their marriage bond i want you to come out in the with me and dine with some friends he said to you are so absorbed in business that you are getting to be a regular old you don t go anywhere except to dry where nobody says anything they mean come with me to morrow evening and i will show you a novelty mr answered that he did not shine in private houses and he knew it who were these people whom he was asked to visit why they re only just plain ordinary folks smiled there is a mrs who runs the house end sometimes a mr though he is not essential and boarding with them is a mrs and her excessively new infant boy you ll get a simple table a little conversation of a depth that needn t frighten you and a view of a somewhat remarkable baby it ll be a change and i shall consider it a favor come don t make it a matter for serious thinking just say you ll go and send word we re coming but i ve never met any of them that s just the reason you are to go so that you will meet them i ve talked about you times enough and they ve sent the warmest invitation to have you come to morrow evening then i will be at your office at live this world is very very small i could tell a dozen stories in my own experience to prove that a whom i had in told me he had served an american family the previous year in that capacity and had no doubt i would know them of course i smiled at the idea till he mentioned their name when i found i knew them very well at a year ago i heard a gentleman remark that he would give anything their marriage bond for a recent boston paper and when i offered him a bundle i had just received i discovered that he lived on the same street at home that i did an who occupied a with us in germany and who spoke perfect english remarked that he had an american friend in london a newspaper representative there and on the name being mentioned it was that of a particular friend of mine the world is really very small when mr promised that he would speak to mrs if he ever encountered her and ascertain if she was in need he little thought that he would be asked by their mutual friend to go and dine with that person so soon the name awakened no memories in his mind the family being represented by so many thousands of people in all parts of the country all that margaret knew in relation to his coming was that mr had promised to bring a gentleman friend to dinner and had asked her to prepare her baby for exhibition to a bachelor whom he wished to with its magnificence the young mother had been about the house for several weeks and regained much of her natural and appearance to her comely face there was added the charm that brings even to the of women that sign of having of the functions of deity in the all glorious creation of a human soul mr thought with of the impression she ought to make on his friend and planned a most evening paid but slight attention to mrs beyond the but when mrs came down he evinced the most remarkable emotion margaret also showed plainly to the observant eyes of their marriage bond mr that something was the matter it was evident to the most casual observer that it was not the first time these two had met neither of them was skilled in concealing their thoughts and both were equally surprised at this meeting ah you are old acquaintances exclaimed we happened to cross the ocean on the same steamer stammered not at all sure that it was the best thing to say but fearful that if she spoke first something even more embarrassing might develop what cried the boat that came on well that is a coincidence he reflected an instant on this theme and then said you were aware then of poor mr s death during the voyage and of his burial at sea through the somewhat

slow mind of the lawyer there dawned the knowledge that the story which mrs had told to was not entirely a correct one he would do well if he escaped getting mixed in her aft airs which above all things he desired to avoid i am afraid we are entering on a painful subject he said very painful said margaret wiping away the tears that had sprung to her eyes she was trembling for she had learned that mr knew mr wondered that he had not had more tact of course the recollection of a husband s death and burial was the worst possible thing with which to begin an evening he had intended to be a pleasant one the drops in mrs s eyes smote him with deep regret he could have cursed himself for his lack of common sense i beg your pardon he said with feeling it waa their marriage bond thoughtless of me ah good evening mr he added as that gentleman joined the party much to his relief my friend mr mr the lady of the house helped out the situation by the seats margaret found herself next to mr with mr exactly opposite the dinner was served and the conversation turned into more agreeable channels mr proving to be an interesting and mrs possessing the charm of a true hostess of course the strangeness of meeting the sweetheart of mr in a house where she was known to his friend was too great to allow the matter to drop even for a second from the lawyer s mind had it not been for s confession of a few days before a confession made with all the marks of truth and in a manner that proved its sincerity would have suspected that the husband of was maintaining his mistress in this place with s knowledge and if there was any reliance to be placed on testimony this suspicion must be dismissed at once but how had come to know her mr knew the s reputation among women and was ready to believe anything to his in that line it was clear that margaret had told a story of the death of her husband at sea which had no foundation had been on the steamer and known that the only mr aboard was in fact no person had died on the voyage and this young woman now had a child a very young child too whose child was it was its father some genuine mr not a husband of course since had declared her right name to be margaret rivers and that she was unmarried these were a thousand u their marriage things that might be true if the evidence could only he obtained at present the lawyer could not tell whether to regard the woman at his side as merely an unfortunate girl by her too strong affections or a deep woman of whom it was wise to beware he believed he ought to this matter to the bottom if only in his own and his legal mind set itself about the task in his own slow but sure way as to margaret she was very much agitated and well aware of the necessity of concealing her feelings in the few words spoken she had learned that mr was an intimate acquaintance of mr as well as of mr and that in all probability he had no knowledge of her present whereabouts or that had ever seen her in the vast area which the map showed her was called america she had felt it utterly improbable that she would ever hear mentioned the name of her lover yet here she was dining with two of his friends and for all she could see he might have been one of the party himself as easily as mr her recent illness would account for any symptoms of ill health which appeared during the progress of the meal but she must be on the qui against surprises it was a difficult task for a girl who had never in her life told but one have you seen lately was one of the questions which asked of the lawyer it often seems like a when a subject that should be avoided gets into a conversation yes was the reply he passed over an hour in my office the other day their marriage bond his wife told me yesterday that you hadn t called on them since their marriage the attorney could not hide his confusion but he always acted when women were being discussed i have been busy he said but i am going soon i promised that i would mrs was apparently listening to some remarks of mrs s but she heard every word that passed between the gentlemen so her former lover was married and from all that appeared everything was well with him a cold wave swept across her heart not of sorrow not of jealousy but of icy pain she had never realized quite so strongly as now the intensity of her love for him you go there often i suppose was mr next observation he wanted to judge from s manner whether he was more than usually interested in the household he talked freely before mrs for he thought as a matter of course that the young merchant had hidden his real name from her not so very often replied is not the thoroughly fellow he used to be i m not him he continued seeing the inquiring look on his friend s face he s had some trouble i think that makes him less he is absent minded as if he were thinking always of something far away why the speaker looked at mr and mrs saw that they were engaged in conversation with margaret he s been upset ever since he came from europe indeed said the lawyer yes pursued lowering his voice but not enough to escape the ears most interested

i saw him their marriage bond in new york that very evening i ran across him in the street perfectly almost out of his head he had eaten nothing since breakfast i pulled him into a and put a little food and drink into him but he only partially rallied i was afraid to trust him alone i went to his hotel and stayed till morning and after a while i persuaded him to go home to his invalid father that was the only name to influence him with for he worshipped the old gentleman he s never been quite right since and of course the death of his parent has not helped him any i am going to advise mm to see a doctor skilled in mental diseases ordinarily mr would have declined to listen to these statements for he detested gossip but he was so interested in mr s relations to the young woman at his side that he could not resist giving attention margaret on her part bore the well and managed while not losing a word to appear engrossed in some remarks which mr was making was not only married then but his father was dead she knew well why he had wandered half about the avenues of new york on the night that she ran away from him but time had brought things around he had forgotten his mad in season to perform the solemn contract he had entered into with his if he was still sad enough to attract the attention of his friends he had at least done his duty margaret felt a glow of honest pride in the result of her terrible sacrifice and now mr wishes to see the crowning glory of this house cried when the party had left the table and to the parlor mrs may we have the pleasure of showing him your youngest their marriage bond the mother blushed partly with pride and partly from the consciousness that the child s father was known to two of the gentlemen present though perhaps suspected by only one would you really care to see him she asked of the lawyer he is very tiny yet and the old excuse laughed mr won t expect to see a giant in a month old infant oh we must have him brought down there is no excuse for refusal thought as margaret disappeared that perhaps the countenance of the child might give some clue to its but when the baby appeared he saw nothing in the little face that could be used on the witness stand he felt drawn to the child however from the instant he got a view of it a bundle of human flesh with dark eyes and clenched fists this was the way it presented itself before his bachelor vision and yet it was a whose existence might be of the utmost importance to the world whom does he resemble asked much amused at the manner in which mr surveyed it not his mamma i think probably being a boy he is more like he stopped before he had said his father for the pained look in margaret s eyes told him he had again on feelings which were very tender i don t think he looks like anybody yet said margaret in a musical tone he looks just like himself that s all which is quite enough interposed mrs in a bit of womanly instinct he is the very best baby i ever saw she added to the gentlemen as young babies are best off in the quiet of their their marriage bond mrs soon disappeared with this one when she returned she found that messrs and were about to depart and only waiting to bid farewell to her she gave her hand to both gentlemen to mr first in the palm was a piece of paper which with the motion she transferred from her hand to his usually slow to comprehend secret actions the lawyer had sufficient presence of mind to retain the paper without revealing the transaction by his manner and he slipped it into his coat pocket at the first opportunity as soon as possible after leaving his companion he read the words on the paper my dear sir you are a and i believe an honest man i wish to see you on important business and shall try to come to your office within a few days please give no hint of this to any one and do not write to me as i have no and a letter would attract attention yours m t their marriage bond a face in the mr read this letter with mingled feelings he had not cared to question mr as to the manner in which the latter made the acquaintance of the young mother nor as to how long he had known her it was certainly strange enough to discover her in the party with whom he had heen invited to dine when had the city and had wandered for nights together according to his story in a fruitless search and here she was not only in a pleasant home instead of starving in some but on the most friendly terms with a man who visited very often much too often thought at mr s residence there was still much of mystery left who paid the bills which counting her recent trial must have been substantial ones if mr did only one could be entertained was not noted as a money did not leave his pocket without expectation of reward in some shape at some time and if he did not pay who did was obliged to acknowledge with a blush for his sex that his against would lie equally against most men whom he knew under similar circumstances mr meditated a good while over the case he took a deeper interest in than he could quite have explained it had outraged his feelings when the

young husband seemed to desire to be put in communication with a former on the first week their marriage bond of his before he would consent to aid in mrs as will be remembered had a promise that the only use of any information obtained should be to assist her in material comforts in the event of her being in need now he had seen margaret and found that she was not in want if one could judge by her appearance he wished to relieve of all thoughts of her for until this was accomplished he could never have tranquillity of mind but if ever discovered that she was living in the companionship of what would happen the slow brain of the attorney kept at work on the problem but he could make nothing satisfactory out of it the first fact worth knowing of course was whether margaret was or was not the mistress of mr secondly if this was not the situation whose mistress he was if anybody s the lawyer read over again the note she had given him stating her intention of calling within a few days at his office he would take pains to her there and try what effect his inquiries might have before margaret came however received calls from both the men interested laughed lightly when asked to talk about mrs saying that he did not feel at liberty to discuss a lady in her absence to an that he knew more than he would want to tell he grew sober and that his relations with her were of the purest then throwing off his he confided the tale of their meeting to the lawyer and the terms on which they were at the present time what is to be the end asked anxiously their marriage bond do you intend to go on forever paying this lady s expenses and demanding no i see you have the popular errors about me said with mock seriousness can t i a young woman in distress and see her through a critical period from common humanity as you could for instance must i intend to rob her of something in return for the loose change she has required i am surprised that a legal mind should take so many ugly things for granted when it cannot back them up by the slightest evidence there is the proverb about the smoke and the fire remarked yes but there are people who see a great deal of smoke where there is none and sometimes there is smoke from a fire under control a fire that will never break loose mr paused to this idea you believe in mrs then he said she appears to you an honest truthful woman mr looked sharply at his companion you speak as if you doubted it he replied i i haven t had your opportunities to judge well to give you a straightforward answer said i do believe in her and i don t see how any one can be in her presence five minutes and raise such a question you are getting to be a why you have said things that from any one else i should consider insulting to to mrs the lawyer looked up his face drawn and white never he cried faintly the things i said were about you not her it is useless to deny that your reputation is bad we might as well be plain i only gave their marriage bond you a warning that you must not try your arts on the the wife of my friend his voice sank almost to a whisper as he uttered the concluding words and the listener saw that his agitation was of no common order u all that you say and think on that subject is nonsense said and by the way i did not suppose that was any more your friend than he is mine it occurs to me that it was i who introduced you to him yes assented he was looking again across the parlor at mrs s and the only thing he could see was the beautiful daughter in her robe of white with flowers in her hair yes it was you had long held the opinion that was a and that it was foolish to pay too much attention to some of his notions but he wished to get this idea about out of his head as soon as possible he did not intend to let anybody get between him and a prize he as he did that one when mr had gone mr his plans i have obtained information of the lady you asked me to help you find he said the next time entered his office where is she cried the other clasping his hands together oh tell me tell me the lawyer realized to the full the strength of the emotion that confronted him i did not agree to do that he replied slowly i only promised to see if she needed your assistance and i have discovered that she does not s strained attitude gave way to something like a their marriage bond must i fear the worst he asked is she leading a life of no she has found friends strong friends and from all i can learn is in no present danger ah cried with a great sigh of relief tell me who they are that i may seek them repay them and thank them on my knees looked at the speaker with the strongest signs of displeasure you have no right to thank them no right to do anything about it he said vehemently you are married to a pure beautiful charming woman and your every thought should be given to her this acquaintance with mrs or miss rivers or whatever you choose to call her was a episode in your career and the sooner it is forgotten the better was clearly staggered but he rose to

the emergency there are men he replied with deep feeling who would consider your remarks sufficiently insulting to demand their or cease all intercourse with you but to me this matter is too important to be treated in an ordinary way my intercourse with margaret is the thing i can look back upon in my entire life i loved her i still love her with all the powers of my being the marriage into which i was is the thing of which i am ashamed the one act was at least honest a true expression of the tenderest in my heart the other is a lie from beginning to end and can only result in eternal injury both to me and an unhappy woman you cannot make a marriage sacred which is entered upon as that was let me tell you that no will influence me in this affair if there is a doubt as to my their marriage bond duty to provide for any woman it is against for i had the true sincere love of margaret before that senseless ceremony in which two themselves to please their elders the lawyer shrank before the of his companion the earnestness of was altogether apparent had never realized till to day the full force of the passion that bound him but he stammered surely you were not both surely was honest in declaring before god and man her love for you shook his head no i had told her that i never could never should love her no woman s affection could survive the language i used it was a desire to gratify her mother that forced her on and the false pride of fearing to announce to the world that her engagement had been broken shook with the he was trying to conceal poor girl he exclaimed speaking his thoughts unconsciously aloud i agree with you was the reply her condition is indeed most deplorable but she would still hesitate to take the only step that could better it that of asking the law to the bonds that will her deeper and deeper as each year of her life comes and goes we have made the most frightful mistake of which human beings are capable the lawyer was mute the suggestion of divorce was too much for him tell me more of margaret pleaded is well is she happy does she know that i am here their marriage bond in boston that i am married what are her feelings toward me i do not know why i should answer responded stiffly you wanted to make sure that she was not suffering for food clothing and shelter i can assure you on those points she does know that you are married and by your own story she would not wish you to desert and betray your bride i am sure that miss rivers would only escape you again if you discovered her whereabouts and forced yourself upon her the deepest pain showed itself upon s brow i see you do not yet understand me he said little as i the marriage bond that was secured in fraud i shall be true to until some power us i shall either be again the husband of margaret rivers or i shall never know the love of woman i am in fair health i am likely to live forty years for all you can tell would you condemn me to a solitary existence when there is one who loves me and whom i love you know where this woman is by what of justice would you keep us apart the thoughts of the attorney were wandering to the parlor at mrs s where a young mother was exhibiting her babe with maternal pride if it was this man s babe there might be reason in what he said and yet the difficulties of his position were great i must think of this he said slowly there are many things to consider i will think of it candidly and honestly and let you know within a few days drew a long breath a few hours would be torture he answered a few minutes would seem too long a few days are an their marriage bond eternity but i have no choice i cannot compel you to the secret i can only await your pleasure i am placed in a position from which i would rather have escaped said after another pause an accident has made me the of the secrets of several persons it is my duty to act in the manner which i believe on reflection is most just as knew from a thorough acquaintance with the speaker that it would be idle to attempt to influence him he said no more but left the office with the understanding that he would learn by mail when he was again wanted there was an in the building but as he was but two flights above the street started to walk down the about the well and as the lift was made of wrought iron he could easily see the persons inside as they passed him what made him look into the interior is not clear as it was something he was not in the habit of doing but in making a turn in the he glanced at the car moving rapidly upward and saw a face that made him pause margaret rivers was in that car the stopped at the floor above as she was the only it was tolerably probable that she had alighted there the lift began to descend and as it him saw that it was empty except for the boy who guided it margaret had alighted on the floor of office without doubt she had come to see him mr s brain with its thoughts for the next few moments there was no possibility connected with this case that did not find an entrance to his brain the conviction that was

playing him false their marriage bond gradually drove out all others their place possessed with the information that margaret had allowed one lover to he familiar with her having her name and description for had used these things for his own benefit the intense interest which he had shown in the story the emotion he had several times displayed returned to the mind of mr with full force and here was margaret visiting him at his office with which she seemed the man sat down upon the stairs too weak to stand there was no honesty in men where women were concerned he had that for a very long time had been over anxious that should remain true to his wife he had shown when told how slender a thread bound her to her husband he knew all about the present life of miss who was to use his expression in the hands of friends of it was practically certain thought the man that the friends alluded to were simply and solely the lawyer himself there is nothing so as jealousy the mind is clouded from the moment a dark suspicion takes root there did not feel able to climb the stairs to the floor above he thought it wiser to descend to the next landing and take the back creeping slowly downward he reached his destination after the lapse of several minutes and when he had entered the ascending car he heard his name spoken by a familiar voice was at his side they alighted at the same landing that at which miss had left the car i guess we re bound to the same place said cheerily i m going to call on their marriage bond then he noticed for the first time the appearance of his friend and asked the cause why you re not looking right he said what under heaven is the matter after several ineffectual attempts to speak managed to say that he had just experienced a dizzy feeling which had nearly overcome him i should say so replied why you look almost as badly as you did that evening in new york lean on me and i ll help you into s office where you can lie down on a sofa hesitating at first lest he could not bear the shock of seeing his darling and his false friend together mr at last consented it would be some comfort he thought to exhibit to his lost love the state into which her conduct had thrown him as to intending harm to either of them that did not enter his head he was simply crushed and weak opened the door in person and grew white as he saw his visitors here not that way he exclaimed them toward his public office instead of the private room in which remembered that a sofa was he is ill and faint replied and must lie down too confused to resist longer the lawyer made way for the pair and an instant later they stood in the presence of miss rivers much can be done in a of a second margaret saw the message in the eyes of mr which said as plainly as words do not recognize me my friend has been taken suddenly ill said aloud and i advised him to come in here and lie their marriage bond down the lady will excuse us i know for under the circumstances margaret bowed she could not have spoken had she tried her body seemed thought she was doing wonderfully well he did not want to get an idea that he had ever met this lady before visiting so often at mr s house it would not be advisable for suspicions of this nature to find in the mind of the merchant mr felt that they were all standing on the edge of a submitted to being placed on the sofa and drank from a glass of cold water which was brought to him following the mere instincts of her nature margaret took her handkerchief wet it in the liquid and wiped his forehead tenderly perhaps it will be best to leave him somewhat alone whispered the lawyer to after a few moments during which no one broke the silence we are going out into the other office he added in an equally low voice to miss rivers you will stay a little while he concluded she answered by a slight inclination of her head already bent above the sick man the others then left the room i will explain her presence here to your satisfaction at another time said in response to the question that beamed in his companion s face she arrived a few moments ago and will not i think care to remain much longer nodded to show that he had nothing to say he was capable of jealousy too but not of women with whom he had never been in love and besides he held their marriage bond an opinion of that suspicion in such a case as this i had nothing special to come up for he said and i think i ll have to go you ll see to sending home in a carriage of course he s getting too many of these attacks he ll have to be more careful the couple left alone in the private room remained as they had been margaret continued to s forehead while his only action was to take her disengaged hand in his and press it to his lips true or he loved her he could not blame her whatever had happened he only wished that he might die then and there with her hand in his and her soft touch upon his forehead their marriage bond xxiv in the lawyer s office the great problem still bore heavily upon mind was it best to hold to the marriage whose terms were so whose results must be so painful to him and to

his wife s deep love for margaret had shone forth in all its three of a year had failed to change him in any respect if could only hear what had to say could understand the real condition of her mind it would be easier to decide and then there was another to be reckoned with mrs it was not likely that she would consent to such a scandal as a separation of her daughter from the man she had been at such pains to gain until something definite was decided upon it was clear that the couple he had left in his private room ought not to be too long together five minutes after left the office knocked gently on the inner and opening it entered mr lay where he had left him and miss rivers had not changed her position as a matter of fact not a word had been exchanged between them are you feeling better asked the lawyer of the prostrate man much better was the reply and in proof of the statement rose to a sitting posture there is no use in concealing anything from you this is the woman whose husband i should have been their marriage bond margaret started at the assertion but remembering that mr had had ample opportunity for knowing all this implied to be true she made no reply i have told you many times continued mr still addressing mr that there was one plain duty which i hoped to perform i owe this woman a support nothing can be more certain than that there are things about which she and i have differed but i will leave it to you as a fair minded man if there is any question about this one then margaret s voice was heard may i go out with mr and speak to him alone for a moment she asked certainly but please don t run away from me this time i shall not try to control your movements but there are things that must be settled we shall never find a better opportunity she bowed acquiescence to this proposition and quietly withdrew in company with the lawyer you have told him what she asked when the door was closed only that i had seen you and that you were apparently not in need nothing about mr he shook his head and the baby does he know not from me i believe he is ignorant of it she looked him earnestly in the face i do not wish him to know she said it would be harder to convince him that our relations should be ended forever i will not tell him said thank you i came here to day to see if you could think of any way i could earn my living i have ac their marriage bond too much aid from mr he has acted the part of a gentleman to me but i have a feeling of degradation in allowing one upon whom i have no claim to do so much i am very well now and willing to do anything honorable rather than eat the bread of dependence yes mr whatever you know of my past whatever you may guess in relation to it i want the rest of my life to be if that can be accomplished he into one of his brown studies will you answer me a few questions he asked finally anything were you an innocent girl when you met mr as innocent as a child how could you such a man asked he because i could not rob another woman because i felt what it would be to me if i had had his promise of marriage and she had stolen him away i never killed even a fly but i would follow such a woman to the end of the earth and drive a knife into her bosom he shivered for he knew she would do what she said you have not changed your mind said he to day if he would leave her for you i would not permit it or if he were free if she were dead perhaps i might find some excuse for my love can never change no matter how many years he fixed another of his penetrating glances on her mr has a right to aid in your support he said then he has the right and has none as an attorney i advise you to accept what you need their marriage bond hereafter from the father of your child it is the best thing for you and for him margaret struggled a moment with the proposition but i cannot continue to meet him she said no was the reply you will not need to meet him if you both wish it i will be your he may leave the money with me and i will give it to you mr was very uneasy during the absence of the pair and when they returned he looked from one to the other slowly and carefully mr told of the decision at which he had arrived if mr wished to contribute to the support of miss rivers he would be the means by which the money was given to her at first was he a dangerous animal he asked to be held at arms length by a woman who had sworn that she loved him what harm could result if he met margaret once or twice a month and put the sum he would give her into her own hands but gradually he grew calmer it was something to know that she was safe that neither the stifling factory nor the street could claim her and at last he consented it was better than nothing for the present i don t want to be idle as i told you when i agreed to come to america said margaret there are plenty of ways in which i could earn almost

enough to exist on if mr would try to find me a situation you forget interrupted the lawyer with the child in his mind and then perceiving that he was upon forbidden ground stopped short it can be done said mr there is a at this moment in my counting room but i suppose that is the last place you would like to accept he added their marriage bond it is the last place she should accept said the lawyer gravely i will undertake to secure her a situation as soon as as soon as it is expedient i do not think he continued thoughtfully that there is anything more we can accomplish to day he rose and there was a strong hint to his that it was time to go you ll see me sometimes margaret pleaded mr leaning toward her there is no reason why we should he enemies she put her arms about his neck the attorney and kissed him gently on the forehead the action was and not even mr had the heart to protest against it then miss rivers accompanied the lawyer to the and descended as he intended she should do first he did not know but mr in his excited mood might follow her stay where you are for a few days he said as he left her then come and see me again but be very careful that mr does not know you come a second time he might grow suspicious and make trouble a nd keep your secrets my child if he should learn that your story about mr and his death at sea were there s no telling what turn his mind might take he was not thirty years of age but he seemed so much her elder that the expression my child touched her deeply how can i thank you for your kindness she exclaimed you could not have used me better if i were a rich and powerful hush he said remember be careful when he reached his office again he found mr their marriage bond standing before a mirror arranging his hair which had been i am calm said he i have suffered so much already that i think i have learned to bear anything now for margaret s support do what you think right and tell me the amount you i have nothing to rely on but the income of my business but i would sooner live on one meal a day than have her depend on charity he took his departure with only a few more words for there was nothing to be gained by much speaking when he was gone the lawyer locked his doors to indicate that he had departed for the day and sat by the drawn window curtains studying out the problem i shall have to know his wife better before i can tell just what is best he murmured at the end of an hour if she is contented to lead the life of a maid while wearing the livery of a matron that is one thing if on the contrary her position and her if she is dissatisfied and in distress that is another is fearfully of this english girl should he by any learn of the child it would be hard to hold him i must see the wife i must see the wife he repeated with conviction their marriage bond xxv it s not a case of love it had been a long time since began his task of winning the young wife of from her his method was one which he called slow hut sure he had resolved to win long ore her marriage day was set and from all that he could judge his chances of success had never been better while not dreaming of the extent to which she lived apart from her husband he knew that they were far from the condition of lovers had reason to believe that liked him he had done her in the matter of the a very great service she had come to regard him in a most favorable light mrs did not cut so much of a figure in these days as she would once have done she was crushed by the troubles that had come upon her and lived an absolutely quiet life in giving up the she had held for so long even declining all invitations sent by her large circle of friends the of the marriage she had so eagerly sought for her daughter was painfully apparent to her would not speak of it avoiding every reference to the subject but the maternal instinct was too strong to be deceived she had compelled her child to marry a man of the most moderate means when a match with a their marriage bond could have been just as easily arranged a too who still felt the blow and who would never she was sure recover from it people might hint that the morals of mr were not what they should be mrs had never heard an improper word from his lips she knew that could be trusted anywhere if was permitted to call upon her still it was a positive proof to the elder lady that his conduct was she had brought her daughter up to know right from wrong at least so continued to visit the both when was at home and when he was absent sometimes mrs met him there and always treated him with the same profound respect that he was at pains to show to her she not only entertained no suspicions she cordially approved of s intimacy with him there were possibilities to be considered in case anything should happen to what more eligible opportunity for to than with this rich and agreeable gentleman although her plans had gone so badly mrs could not help studying new ones and thinking of it was in the month of may that mr

drew away from him and shut her lips tightly together i ought not to talk of this with you she said shivering i have been learning to bear my cross don t tempt me to cast it aside while there are others to suffer as well as i she had admitted that she wished release from her husband she had not denied his intimation that she cared very much for another he said in his tenderest manner i would give the world to serve you your situation seems to me the most deplorable that can be conceived at present you are luckily able to endure it as the days pass your power in this respect will steadily you are a magnificent woman and a union is more than any man has a right to ask let me assure you if you need the assurance that all i am all i possess is at your disposal when the time comes that you can use me say the word though it be but as the cloak of to keep your shoe from may i hope that she nodded with her eyes full of tears then he said he must be going and she walked slowly with him to where his hat and cane had been left mr hailed a car and rode out to where he could divert his mind with the interesting woman and child who had been go long under his pro their marriage bond he could pass an hour with them and with their landlady who was seldom dull in conversation but it was destined to be a disagreeable day with him all through one of the first things he learned after meeting margaret was that she intended to leave this home soon and seek another at a distance i am so glad to tell you she explained that i have found old friends who will relieve you of my care as soon as i can i am to go to another city and shall not need your aid any more the blank look with which mr received this information banished the smile from the mother s face almost as soon as it came there some friends he repeated that explains your visit to and so as her blush announced that his guess was correct you intend to desert me for the first man who will give you a lift but i have no claim upon you replied margaret and i thought you would be glad to know i would not need your help you have been kindness itself and i shall always be most grateful but oh don t explain he broke in when are you going his manner was so abrupt that miss rivers was much confused in a few days she said and perhaps after a little while i can send you the amount you have expended for me i have the account here she took a little book from a drawer here is every date and figure from the first he felt inclined to laugh as he thought how far the real sums varied from those she had been given he was paying for instance a week to the instead of the which she had been told was the price their marriage bond of her rooms the meals she had eaten having been at the urgent request of mrs w who pleaded loneliness and lack of feminine companionship everything had gone wrong with him that day and this was but on a par with the rest well he had never counted this woman very highly in his plans she amused him and he did rather like the baby never mind if she was going she was going he did not like to talk with her in his present mood so he descended to mrs s part of the house where he found that lady in her usual good spirits your tells me she is going he remarked yes said mrs him does she say where no but i can find out if you wish why the devil should i care he said harshly i picked her out of the and she may fall back into it for all of me mrs was a shrewd judge of men you do care nevertheless she said good if i knew all that is in your mind i should know what to do in reference to a discovery i made to day it is said that curiosity is a feminine trait but i have noticed that some men are not free from it there is nothing in my mind he replied that will prevent my listening to anything you may have to the woman eyed him closely it isn t a case of love i m sure she mused aloud you re not in a mood to be jealous of anything that occurred before you knew mrs i should say not he snapped and if i have made a chance discovery which gives an acquaintance of yours away a man who is supposed marriage bond to be above such things you won t object to knowing it he indicated that he would have no such objection she drew a number of pieces of letter paper from her pocket don t tell i found these she said hesitatingly say you picked them up yourself they were in her waste basket she laid the pieces upon a table in their proper order bo that the writing could be followed closely the first words were my dearest margaret and the last yours forever it was not a long letter but it revealed all that mr would least have liked mr to know and the latter felt his heart throb against his bosom aa he reflected on the weapon thus put into his hand isn t it an awful good joke exclaimed mrs holding her sides with laughter the finest in the world was the reply as joined his merriment however forced to

hers and he put the torn pieces of the letter in his pocket their marriage bond chapter whose child is that notwithstanding the mild manner in which had accepted the of his friend mr in regard to the way his assistance should be given to miss he was far from content with the total separation from her in person that the plan involved while at the lawyer s office he was not in a condition to make a protest against a scheme which whatever else it did restored to him the privilege of to the support of the woman he loved this he had at o e time believed would almost satisfy him for he had passed miserable months in dread of the awful of suicide and for the young and inexperienced stranger in a foreign land it is human nature to ask for all that can be obtained and to be pleased with as little as possible before mr had left the lawyer s office an hour he regretted that he had not made a decided stand for a different arrangement although he had seen her face to face and felt the of her soft touch on his forehead she had disappeared as effectually as before he went twice to mr begging at least one more opportunity to talk with her not only declined representing that as the lady s attorney he had no right to grant this but took occasion to lecture his friend upon the folly of a chapter in his life which he had now the strongest reason to keep closed ir marriage bond no way is provided in the laws of the united states by which a man may have two wives he said but i have not even one protested a crossed the face of the listener that is not true he replied you have a lawful wife and nothing but your excited fancy stands between you the mistake was in the marriage under these circumstances but now it is done now that the harm has happened to and to me is there nothing you can suggest except that we go on through life each other by playing dog in the you have studied law and read the philosophers is there no remedy for us in all your books on the shelves there by heaven i will find one before i am through he added desperately to resolve to do a thing was to to put the resolve in operation he did not move as quickly as some men but in the long run he accomplished quite as much as many of more rapid motion he had been invited often enough to visit the he had indeed called once or twice in a formal way and had a brief talk with both of them of an evening but always others were there and he learned little or nothing of value to the emergency that now confronted him both husband and wife had conducted themselves in such a manner as to arouse no suspicion in the mind of any person not already with the facts had great tact and a fair amount of common sense and with the exception of mr no one knew the entire secret no not even mrs the lawyer selected an evening when mr was to be from home he wanted to talk with the wife alone their marriage bond he did not know exactly what he would say to her and at best he was with women but to have the husband present would spoil all of that he was certain the rest he trusted to chance when his card was brought in hastened to greet him she had much esteem for mr regarding him as one of the few thoroughly honest persons with whom she in contact from the first time they met she had liked him she had a feeling as she took his hand that evening that he would be a real friend in case one was needed mr is out i am sorry to say she told him but that will not prevent your remaining i trust he laid down his hat and cane where she indicated and replied with his accustomed i knew he was out mrs i came because he was out the of her married life the great need of some one to confide in gratitude that he had been so frank with perhaps still other sentiments that had been growing in her breast unconsciously swept off her feet speaking instead of the hand she had taken she held it and in a sort of clasp drew its owner so near that their garments touched it is very kind of you to say this she murmured frightened at what she was doing and at the same time unable to resist her impulses mr proved for once to be equal to the occasion he took her other hand and with both of them now in his own he held her there i would do anything for you anything he said astonished at his own actions i i am afraid you are not happy their marriage bond a tear rolled down her cheek you are right she whispered and then she tried to say more and could not let us sit down said he and talk about it her hold as if unwillingly followed the advice she had done that which in the presence of any other man would have covered her with confusion hut his manner seemed to redeem everything he had taken her warm hand in his and held it tightly he had let her draw him to her and had drawn her to him in return and yet she was quite safe he was only going to sit down and talk what is the cause of your was his next question his voice was as sweet and low as any woman s my marriage she answered without hesitation you are wedded to

one man while you love another she started at the statement made so simply i am married to a man whom i do not love and who does not love me he returned to the question after the manner of lawyers and there is another whom you would have married had you consulted your heart alone you surely do not expect me to admit that she stammered faintly no i will answer it for you i know it is true i have known it for a long time she touched his arm with her fingers as gently as if it were brushed by the wing of a bird how did you know she whispered i cannot tell i suppose it was instinct for yon have never uttered a word to me on the subject i could their marriage bond not speak to you about it when your marriage was already decided upon the problem was too great for me to solve i could only remain silent and resolve to shield you if i found anything crawling across your path the woman shuddered the things that crawl have no power to do me harm she said earnestly many a woman has thought that and discovered her error said mr the only is in the love of a true husband the loss the terrible loss that she had suffered rolled over s mind like a wave the love of a true husband what had she what was she likely to have to fill its place i am in a delicate position said mr later in the evening there are many things i might say were not the atmosphere so clouded let us leave it this way if there is anything in which i can help you promise to call on me without hesitation i will do so she replied fervently it was something to a woman who had so few persons on whom she could rely she saw the tall form of the lawyer depart half an hour later with a sense of gratitude for his interest in her that passed the power of expression mr s determination that he would find the whereabouts of miss rivers suffered no as the weeks glided by with that strange double consciousness which is often noted he attended to his business in a manner that gave his associates no occasion for fault while beneath the talk of and coffee the image of margaret was ever clearly their marriage bond he made a new arrangement with the firm of and a man was detailed to shadow both mr and his office at all hours if margaret had been to see the attorney once she might come again if she did not come she might write if she did neither might go to meet her at some other place possibly the very one in which she was living the vigilance of the was at last rewarded miss rivers entered the lawyer s office and when she emerged was followed to a house in cambridge where she was did not hesitate long when he learned under which roof his idol was to be found that very evening he took the street car from boston and went to call upon her i believe there is a lady here he said to the servant who answered his ring mrs yes so she had resumed her own name tell her a gentleman wishes to see her the servant was gone several minutes when she returned she said mrs rivers wished to know the name of her taking a from his pocket mr wrote a few words on a leaf and tore it out give her this he said he had written i must see you for a few minutes unless you utterly hate me do not refuse this boon the messenger returned with the request that he walk upstairs the lady he wished to see was in the rear room on the first floor an instant later he had mounted the steps and not even pausing to knock had opened the door and stood in the presence of his beloved when she received his note and knew what she bad their marriage bond at first that it was mr who was waiting margaret had been thrown into a state of excitement her first impulse was to decline to see him then she reflected that a man of his temperament could not be put off so easily that having discovered her home he would insist on meeting her at all costs she would have to let him in notwithstanding the agreement she had entered into with mr she was holding the baby in her arms when the message came and for a few moments she contemplated various plans for of that young gentleman until after the conference was ended but as she glanced about the room she saw that there were many proofs of his existence besides his own self a stood by her bed little garments were scattered here and there and then there came over the young mother an irresistible yearning to show this part of herself and of him to the long absent father she wanted to gaze into the eyes of her former lover when they first encountered those of his offspring so she met him standing in the centre of the room with the baby in her arms his astonishment was intense for a few seconds he was fairly dazed by the spectacle it was her child he did not for an instant doubt that something of the with which painters crown the over the head of every young mother margaret he stammered margaret a thrill of delight shot through her bosom sit down she said you did not know of this she added when he had been persuaded though with difficulty to accept the invitation to be seated i their marriage bond thought it best to keep the information from you but his eyes were opened

wide the blood had sprung to every in his body his face was with color margaret you do not mean that it is mine that she did mean it that she was at the that it could belong to any one else was all too evident from the look in her face from the of tears in her eyes he fell on the floor at her feet mother father and child mixed in confusion mine he cried again raising himself to look at the tiny thing she nodded through her tears and did not resist when he caught her to his breast to the imminent danger of the infant and kissed her again and again on the lips my wife he exclaimed between each embrace my darling darling wife slowly her senses returned and she herself from the heap you must not call me that she said sadly you are married and the name of wife should be sacred to you he laughed i will never listen to such again he said you are the only wife i ever had and your talk shall not divorce us this boy this girl boy she interrupted this boy is witness of which was my true marriage and all the powers on earth shall not his evidence rivers of joy flowed over her at his words but she would not give up so soon their marriage bond you have married since i saw you is it not true she asked i went through a ceremony before a clergyman to the life of my father he admitted but there was no marriage i have wedded but one woman loved but one been true to but one and she is here now thrown by the force of her affection on each wave of his the strong conscience in the english girl drove her back again to the shore of what she called justice you have been living with her as your wife she said that the action of the law and the church i have lived under the same roof but i am no i married the woman i loved in and i cannot wed again i have a wife dearest and a child they are here all the in creation shall never make me doubt again where my duty lies miss listened with heart but you are hers she replied she can claim you even there you need fear nothing he said she does not wish to claim me she was led into a mistaken step by a view of filial devotion she will be very willing to surrender a man who adds nothing to her happiness i will give her the opportunity of seeking a divorce the law that has chained her shall make her free he tried to kiss margaret again but she resisted him effectually no she said it is the old story once more a woman who has loved you enough to take your name in marriage could not be willing to give you up i would die of hunger rather than steal the love that be their marriage bond to another you are hers you are not mine i have no right to you he was but not convinced he took the baby in his arms and talked about him i really believe he looks like me he continued what have you named him i have called him nothing but baby yet he is so little he is a giant was the reply he finally succeeded in making her say that he might call sometimes and that the sum necessary for the support of her and his child should come direct through his hands you will have to behave very nicely she said no more or kissing and you must not come oftener than once a month this was at last reduced to once a week with which he was fain to be content for the present he would trust to the future to the limit to reasonable proportions it was a evening that he passed take it altogether he had known nothing so happy since before that awful day when they landed together in new york and she deserted him at the hotel door their marriage chapter roused to anger tbe new address of miss rivers was soon communicated to mr by mrs who ascertained it from an probably margaret would not have refused to give it to him herself had he asked her for she felt the highest gratitude for all he had done in her behalf and in parting she tried to give expression to her f by her most hearty thanks but was in no mood to question her or to accept her praises he did not at the moment care where she was going he thought in an indistinct way that her actions did not very well with her professions but he was willing to end the incident his mind was full of and other matters took their places with things of minor interest when mrs told him the street and number of the cambridge house however he caught eagerly at the thus put into his hands worthless as it was in one sense since he did not mean to visit margaret in her new home it might be very valuable in its effect when knew that her husband had a former mistress so near boston the letter that had been together revealed everything it admitted the pecuniary support which miss rivers was receiving from and expressed the deepest grief that he could not occupy his true position as her natural protector in the eyes of the world this letter might certainly have a value if used at the proper time their marriage bond s passion surprised him by its strength there was nothing about it it grew with each passing hour until it was the only thing that filled his mind he would have if there was any way to accomplish it no

matter at what sacrifice of money or honor he must possess this sweetest ornament of womanhood everything convinced him that his progress was sure if slow mrs regarded him as a friend his presence at her apartments was always welcome he was confidential with her almost to the degree of familiarity she had confessed that her marriage was not happy she had implied at least that she loved another and who could that other be but himself brought up with the idea of the laws of society must be brought into her mind with the greatest care during the very hours that mr was meeting his love and his child in cambridge quite a different scene was being at the flat in boston mr was making one of his afternoon calls and was using every effort to bring his long quest to a close you are sad again to day said to him when he had been in the house half an hour and had replied in to all her suggestions there is no happiness in store for me was his reply i am doomed misery not only have i my own to bear but one i love is being deceived in the most cruel manner and there is nothing i dare do to aid her she studied the statement for some seconds and then asked him to explain what good will it do he demanded no one the bearer of evil tidings supposing i should their marriage bond tell a woman that her husband was a robber and a murderer she might leave him but she would always associate me with her injury a robber and a murderer that certainly could not refer to i never could understand said with a that made her look why don t you speak out plainly if you know anything that you ought to tell me fear nothing i hope i am sensible enough not to connect a friend who brings unpleasant news with the news itself he regarded her so intently that she flushed before his gaze shall i he asked i ought to tell you but is it wise he took a from the pocket of his coat and held it thoughtfully in his hands then he slowly it and exhibited two pieces of glass on which fragments of a torn letter were in such a manner that both sides could be easily read no he exclaimed as if strongly moved it is better that you do not read it had seen at a glance that the writing was that of her husband and her curiosity was aroused to the utmost as mr had expected she sprang to his and endeavored to take the article from him while he was in the pretended act of returning it to his pocket there was a pretty little struggle and then as if out of pure gallantry he surrendered and the panes of glass were in her hands it is cruel he said with well emotion i cannot justify myself for letting you see this but after all the fault is his i will resist no more lay it their marriage bond on the table and see what your friend and mine is capable of doing with shaking fingers she did as suggested mr assisted by laying the pieces in their proper order and turning the pages when she had read to the foot of each with heart the young wife read the lines which showed that her husband had a real true affection for another woman that the marriage bond which bound him to one he could never love were all that kept him from his life to her and mr having played his great card watched the effect with eyes which he had to sympathetic grief for her outraged feelings my dear girl he said in a low tone when she had reached the end for the second time each word having been re i am so sorry for you but after all it was my duty to bring you this could anything be more heartless than his conduct nothing said hard and putting her hand blindly to her forehead how did you come in possession of this he told her a carefully prepared story how he had met miss rivers at the home of his friend in how a servant the signature to the letter had picked it out of a waste basket and handed it to him as a joke on mr and how he had been shocked by the which its contents represented i thought at first that i would show him what i had learned added and demand that he a double existence that is a crime to you and a shame to humanity but his letter showed that the right alternative that of giving up this woman is too improbable to be hoped for the language he uses in that note a perfect then i reflected that no their marriage bond one can ever tell what a woman will do that perhaps you would rather retain him though he be than to have your name in the divorce column that i had no right to interfere with your affairs without putting you in possession of all the facts and i brought the letter here to day doubtful if i should find courage to exhibit it fearful lest the good turn i wanted to do you might be and cause me to fall in the esteem of one whose high opinion i value above everything she sat listening with the air of one from whom all bodily strength had vanished the blow had been very hard for her we shall have to separate and i she said thoughtfully but your mother he asked significantly i cannot consider her altogether said calmly for her i made the error of my life she has seen her mistake and i do not think she will try to my feelings again if

she does i must oppose her this is a matter that is vital there are no two to take there is one that many would think of he said leaning affectionately toward her a divorce makes a terrible scandal however wronged the wife is injured by the operation when a husband has his vows it is not always best to release him from the obligations he has assumed that would be pleasing him too well for as soon as the decree is pronounced he ia free to spend the rest of his days with the one who shares his guilt then to s intense surprise the young wife rose and turned upon him with a torrent of she understood him at last their marriage bond j beast she cried coward wretch how do you dare how do you the words choked in her throat she was too angry for expression but the lines in her face told their own story curse it he answered rising you are a pretty woman to use this talk to me a change had been wrought in their faces hatred and struggled for the mastery where warm affection had sat so lately leave the house shouted pointing to the door and never so long as you live enter it again mr laughed in her face said he you won t get rid of me bo easily i have treated you like a lady of refined feelings and that was my mistake you are not entitled to any such usage she looked at him as if he were a into den she had strayed the front door bell rang and a guest was shown into the reception room but in their excitement neither of them heard a sound he paused to catch his breath and then said it is a sin that we should quarrel you drove me mad with your coldness when i have loved you half my life and would my heart s blood for you come to me now give me the affection i and no woman ever had a truer more loyal friend than i will be to you he opened his arms and advanced toward her but she retreated go i tell you she cried pointing to the door the door from the reception room opened silently the tall form of entered mr to ascertain the identity of the intruder when their marriage bond he saw he was even more confused than if it had been indeed the husband pausing but an instant to recover her breath flew to the lawyer and like a frightened bird to his side she began to sob and mr had a feeling that he could not well have exhibited himself in a more trying situation what shall i do to him whispered the melodious voice of her oh let him go make him go was the reply in distressed tones the lawyer pointed toward the open door without changing his position with the arms of that lovely woman about his waist he had no wish to move i ll go all right snapped drawing himself up of course you don t understand but half of this or you d see it in a different light but there s one thing i will say and that is the on her property will be at once i m not going to put a fortune in for people who haven t the first symptom of gratitude you need not go to any trouble on that matter was the answer of the lawyer still without changing his attitude if you will send the papers to my office to morrow will pay you all that is due principal and interest the promise was so unexpected and so full of relief to the young wife who had immediately thought of her stricken mother s distress that she the arms that encircled the lawyer s waist and them as far as her smaller height would permit about his neck oh that s it eh exclaimed to mrs well i wish you joy the girl i told you of who has marriage bond beer s darling is also a particular friend of this high minded fellow i found her the other day in the private room at his office it s getting complicated isn t it the form that clung to mr grew heavy upon him the clinging hands slowly the knees gave way and slid downward through his arms to the floor cried the lawyer to i believe you have killed her aroused at last to a sense of decency ran to the kitchen where he acquainted the servant with the fact that her lady had fainted the girl came in with and thinking that it was best for him to go the man who had all the trouble left the house soon after had been placed on a sofa and regained consciousness mrs arrived a brief explanation of the fact that her daughter had been suddenly overcome was what mr vouchsafed for above all he did not wish her to guess what had happened before leaving he stooped for a moment over to express the hope that she would soon be all right and she whispered so that it reached no ears but his do not desert me my friend my only friend i will try to run in to morrow he said the remark intended for both ladies i want to see you and together and you also mrs there has been a formed for building a through and they are ready to make a very handsome offer for a part of your lands there marriage bond that is amusing my dear the that succeeded in putting his head inside the tent of the had little difficulty in introducing subsequently the whole of his body the first visit of mr to miss at her new home broke the ice between them paid no attention to the limit of once a

week that she had made to his calls but was soon in the habit of running in daily and spending an hour or more with his old sweetheart and her pretty child nothing was said about the matter to mr the income that mr allowed to margaret still passed through the lawyer s hands thought the easiest way the best and did not care to disturb the new which had so many elements of delight to him after his long separation from the woman he loved as to margaret though troubled with doubts she could not refuse to receive the man whose presence was of all things most delightful to her and who conducted himself like a thorough gentleman without ever offering to renew the love making of the old time she found excuses enough arguing that no real harm was being done to the legal wife concerning whom not a word of discussion was had between them mr devoted most of his stay on each occasion to the baby in the presence of his infant in a way that was touching in the extreme he talked about him to margaret his mind with the lore of their marriage bond but for the most part the time was passed in a contented silence except for such sounds as the child began to make of satisfaction at seeing his new friend whom he grew to expect and admire have you given him any name yet asked one afternoon when he had passed the usual happy time at play with the little fellow not really she replied in some confusion i have thought of calling him after my father but he wants two names i suppose and the other one is still he knew as well as if she had said so in plain words that she wished to make that other name and hesitated on account of the peculiarities of the case you might name him for the friend who took such good care of you before he was born he suggested by the way you never have told me anything about him and perhaps you had rather not he added looking at her miss rivers blushed i have no right to tell you she said he was a kind gentleman who with my misfortune and treated me with the utmost consideration an old man asked after a pause no a young man and very good looking rich too he gave me to understand he the statement with a frown that he could not help what do you suppose was his object he asked she waited some time before replying if i must answer and tell the whole truth she said at last i believe he meant to win my love and wait for the time when i should manifest it toward him their marriage and he did win some of it i suppose he said you could hardly be to so much kindness he won my regard and gratitude said margaret a single man of course she bowed single young handsome and rich if you had not met me again and he had asked you to marry him he would not have done that i am sure she interposed there was the baby in the way it was pathetic to think of no matter what grand opportunities might come to this girl the child would raise an obstacle to her future what is that ring on your wedding finger he demanded noticing it strangely enough for the first time i bought it in new york she said it was necessary to pretend to be a wife you understand i told mr this gentleman of whom we are speaking that my husband died at sea on the passage over i did not suppose you could invent such a big story as that said it was not easy but it had to be done poor little girl he exclaimed what a monster i must seem to you she bade him hush before he could say anything more a servant knocked and presented the card of a gentleman who she said was waiting below stairs an fit of jealousy of curiosity call it what you may seized mr at the moment he took the card from the servant s hand and read the name upon it before miss rivers could stop him wait a minute at the door he said to the maid marriage bond closing the then he turned and surveyed margaret sternly you know whose card this is he asked yes she said growing paler but losing nothing of her firmness it is that of the friend who paid your bills for nearly a year yes she said again and he is still in the habit of calling to see you no it is the first time since i moved i did not think that he knew my address was she lying again did she think it necessary as she had done in the matter of the wedding ring margaret he said i don t you but i want you to prove this to me i know this man and i know that his reputation is of the worst i have a right to warn you that his companionship is dangerous he is a regular visitor at your house she said a little yes that is true replied how did you i heard him speak of it to a guest he brought to the house where i was living i know what you mean to her mouth was drawn her eyes her figure in a tremble as she uttered the disagreeable words margaret my love he cried you do me injustice but i ask just one favor let me conceal myself and hear what he has to say i may a man like that better than you give him a quarter of an hour with no restraint on his tongue and then make some excuse to end the interview when he

is gone i will tell you what i think and explain any doubt that may still be in your their marriage bond she would not have refused him had he asked that she place her head on a block and let him try the tenderness of her neck with an axe she was only too glad to remove any doubts that he might have concerning her relations with mr she threw open the door of her bedroom and when he had passed the threshold she drew a screen across the entrance through this article the concealed man could not only hear but see then she spoke to the girl at the door and said she might show mr up it was the very day that had made the sad exhibition of himself with mrs which mr had luckily interrupted on leaving the house the young man had gone forthwith to the address he had obtained from mrs hoping that a sight of the mother and her child might divert his attention from the failure of his long cherished projects on the way it occurred to him that being lost forever it might not be a bad idea to cultivate the pretty english widow it would not be a bad scheme to take her altogether from mr as a revenge on a family toward whom he had begun to feel a enmity mrs or miss certainly must entertain a sentiment of gratitude toward him a substantial basis from which to begin operations the cloud from his face as well as he could met margaret cordially and soon felt quite at home in her little sitting room where is the crowning glory of the establishment p he asked presently looking about for the baby he is asleep on the bed in the other room she replied in a low tone and we must be sure not to wake him their marriage bond does his father come often to see him he asked abruptly and then laughed at her evident discomfiture i told you she said in a dignified way that mr died on the voyage from to new york i know you did he answered but a letter that you received at mrs s and which you foolishly tore up and threw into the waste basket instead of the fire tells another story to the consternation of miss he drew out the letter as he spoke upon the panes of glass so as to be perfectly it did not occur to her to him with being a spy especially at this moment when the author of those lines was hidden behind a screen within ten feet of him she was much and stood like a detected waiting for him to proceed i don t blame you he said good for your little falsehood it was quite under the circumstances but there is something that i ought to say seriously has no right to assume the expense of your maintenance at this time he is already too far behind in a financial way why the on all his property is more than the whole thing is worth and the interest is i ought to know for i advanced money to try to save him and i shall have to this week to keep from losing what i have invested the young woman trembled as she listened and presently sought a chair into which she sank was she after all in the ruin of the man she loved so well there was something in the manner of mr which convinced her that there was a foundation to his story and she pitied with all her heart their marriage bond knowing that not a word which had been spoken had escaped him now my dear pursued i have sought you to day to propose a more sensible arrangement than the one under which you are living i will furnish you a handsome house and put at your disposal a sum that will supply all the wants of yourself and the little one i will use you like a lady and in return you will treat me like a genuine friend all care for your future will vanish what do you say margaret wondered if the answer she was about to make would seem to the behind the screen dictated by the knowledge of his presence there i wish you would withdraw the question she answered in a hushed tone i cannot treat it seriously when i remember that this is the first time you have said anything to bring a blush to my cheek he laughed aloud that is amusing my dear he said when one remembers the experience through which you have passed unless you accept my offer what will you do her heart was beating rapidly partly out of pity for the desperate case of mr till then by her i do not know she answered quietly i have been ready once before to meet death if necessary and i should not shrink from it again began to fear that he was to be beaten for the second time that day and in a quarter where he had least expected a well you have made a nice mess for your lover he replied his wife will soon have him ia court with your name as co their marriage bond his wife cried margaret she does not know of my existence she did not yesterday to day she has seen the letter he wrote you yes i showed it to her he added in response to her questioning eyes you why did you do that because i chose i am like you i do things because it pleases me she wants a divorce and she has a right to one but the letter said margaret vaguely does not refer to anything that has happened since her marriage i have never wronged her in thought or deed since that day he laughed again the law

does not need actual proof he said the letter shows that a married man writes to a woman not his wife protesting the most violent love for her if in addition to that it is proved that he visits this woman he said this as a and her start convinced him of the of his guess the judge will take the rest for granted she tried to grasp at every possible straw but mrs would not wish a separation she said she could not another error of yours he smiled bitterly she is in love with another person herself the screen was thrown to the floor with a crash and trembling with anger stepped over it into the room liar he shouted raising his arm at the astonished man miss rivers threw herself between them she said think think of all he did for their marriage bond me mr she added in tones of entreaty there must be no quarrel between you here what you said was mr s answer to you have a pure and virtuous woman i it said i do so to avoid a disagreeable scene for this lady who of all the people i have ever helped is the only one to exhibit the least symptom of gratitude i was betrayed into saying more than i meant hereafter watch your own household if you have time enough from your outside affairs so saying he took his hat waved an good bye to cast a look of farewell at margaret and left the house the pair that remained looked at each other for some seconds in silence you believe me now said margaret after a while you believe my words and acts consistent with the honor of your child s mother oh yes he replied with a deep sigh but about could there have been anything to his assertion miss cast down her eyes you love her after all i see she murmured clasping her hands over her bosom no i tell you no but i do not want harm to come to her she is unhappy enough now if some villain has dared margaret caught him by the sleeve go home to her she said forget all that is past remember your duty to guard her give no man occasion to insult her go go and think of me no more he cried out with pain saying she was mad that no roman but her would ever claim his love and devotion their marriage bond she then alluded to what mr had said about his and declared that she would accept nothing which made it hard for him to his legitimate obligations he explained for answer the matter of the lands saying that even if they were entirely lost it would not affect his capacity to earn a living both for and for her in an hour he persuaded her to promise that she would for the present remain where she was and trust him and if that f returns he said i will give orders not to let him in and yet let us remember always how very kind he was to me bo long their marriage bond chapter the two wives meet there are many men who are capable under the influence of passion or anger of committing acts and who are nevertheless thoroughly ashamed of their conduct as soon as their have had time to cool when reflected on the manner in which he had spent that day he was extremely disgusted with himself he felt that he had played the part of a coward and a and that two of the best friends he had ever possessed were lost to him forever that night he wrote three letters one was to mr the charge he had made against his wife one was to mr begging him to say nothing of the unhappy situation in which he had found and expressing the deepest regret at the occurrence and the third was to bidding her farewell asking her to forget the insane that had guided him and assuring her that as far as the land was concerned the principal could remain for years if need be and that the interest was a matter of no account whatever he sent the three letters and then began to wonder whether they would do any good he knew that and his wife were badly that had a love for miss which he was not likely to that hide it as he might would give his very life for and that mrs only recently aware of it cared more for than she had ever cared for their marriage bond other person a of the ties of those four people could hardly fail to be of benefit to all if it could be accomplished the more he thought about it the more he wished that he had back the letters that he had deposited in the mail box he had written them but without due consideration he would have to see more of these people in person in order to right things the one most likely to receive him politely was margaret he made up his mind that he would have another and a far different interview with her mrs met her husband on the evening of her encounter with in much the usual way he was absorbed in the events of the day and more than ordinarily he knew it is true that had probably shown the torn pieces of the letter but it was not for the husband to begin a conversation that related to that matter he believed it would not be either who would open the subject as for the charge against his wife his opinion was in the exclamation with which he had met it liar the married existence of this couple was not sufficiently intimate to lead to much conversation the dinner was usually of in comparative silence the evening paper took up

him that he warned me in advance i know what the world would say but to me your union with him is a thousand times more honorable than mine he has a noble heart and i tried to crush it i did not know i could not understand if i had dreamed that i was you my dear girl and had known of that my duty would have been miss was at last persuaded to rise but she would not sit down i am so ashamed before you she said when she could speak that i do not know what to say but you shall have him back you are the noblest woman i ever knew i want to tell you all about it yes you must hear me i beg it as a great favor i learned to love mr before i heard of your existence we were together and my father died i had no other friend to look to one day he told me i know he would let me say this that he loved me my heart gave a great leap of joy a future seemed to open of the most surpassing brightness then he began to speak of his engagement to a lady in america and i refused absolutely to allow him to say anything more of his affection for me i told him he must return to america and carry out his promise to you i refused though it should break my heart to steal him from another wo their marriage bond man for i thought no sin could equal that it seemed settled that we were to part at that he would return to you and that i should bury my sorrow as best i might among strangers oh i was so hungry for love i so dearly the sweetness of his presence let me tell you everything there is only a little more i came to america with him under an agreement to separate when we arrived and as soon as i could i ran away from him and in a strange land i meant oh i swear it to you to banish him from my life forever but an accident brought us together again and there is one thing more when i learned that he had been married i hid my home from him till he discovered it himself and never no not once has he acted since then in any manner that my dear mother in heaven might not have looked down upon without a blush on her angel face the tears of the two women mingled their arms around each other s neck you shall have him entirely now said mrs when she had regained a little of her composure poor girl you have suffered enough margaret shook her head no he is yours she replied i have done wrong to let him call here but but there was the she pointed to the whose little began to show signs of let us call mr and get his opinion said finally she pointed to the inner door he is there of course i saw him enter the house margaret was startled at this cool mention of a secret that she had been in a tremble about ever since her entered but she did not know how to better their marriage bond things by stopping when the latter walked to the bedroom door and threw it open she said gently come here and help hb mr emerged with a clouded brow he was much in fear of the of an interview between these two women and as he came into their presence he looked anxiously from one to the other this is your true wife said indicating miss rivers both she and her lovely child have the highest claim upon you i seem in their presence a mere and i want you to promise to set them right do not listen cried margaret wildly it is i who have committed the fault her claim is as strong aa duty and law she addressed him we must say good bye our later meetings have been a mistake when a man is married he should forget everything that comes between him and his wife mrs interrupted answer one question she said to her husband what woman do you love best in all the world he turned his face to her with set lips said he you have asked me an honest question and i will make an honest reply for you i have the friendship of my youth the esteem of a neighbor the sympathy of an old associate for margaret i have the passionate longing of a lover my child lies there in its cradle during all my life i have had such feelings for no other woman eight or wrong i shall love her till the end miss rivers to stop the flow of his impassioned words but her effort was of no avail mrs smiled and now perfectly calm took the hand of the english girl and placed it in that of her husband their marriage bond god hath joined you she said neither man nor woman should put you asunder she reached down and lifted the babe from its cradle with wide open eyes the little fellow joyfully and put out his arms for margaret who took him and let him against her bosom there are things necessary for right in human society continued mrs deliberately you must get a divorce or allow me to do so the most polite reason to is desertion you are going to new york soon i hear on business when you take your trunks from the flat where we live you must never return there after a certain time the court can be asked to remedy our fearful error then you will let the law do what it should have done long ago and begin life again with the woman you love

and the child who has a right to your care and as for me she added in a lower voice do not think i shall regret the step it is never too late to do right you know very well that i have never been in love with you for your kindness your consideration both to me and my poor mamma i shall bless you always it is better for all that this separation take a legal and permanent form my greatest wish is that you may be happy with this dear girl do not speak please till i am gone good bye she took margaret s cheeks between her hands and pressed three warm kisses on her forehead then miss rivers cried out angel saint how can i accept such a great boon from you fear nothing replied mrs it may prove a boon to me as well if this comes a little late it may bring happiness nevertheless their marriage bond she touched the child still in hit mother s arms may i kiss him she asked margaret lifted him up to her and a warm caress was on the little cheek what is his name i i have not named him yet said margaret call him it will please me very much and some day if you have the happiness to have a girl child call her i shall think it the highest of compliments now good bye don t try to stop me be good to this dear little woman and thank god that he gave you such a treasure she was gone the baby looked after her wondering what had become of the head that made such a light in the room margaret fell on her knees by the chair in which had sat it with her tears and his heart full of gratitude buried his face in his hands and wept also their marriage bond xxx when did you begin to love me there was business for mr in new york and it was the desire of his firm that he should spend as much time there hereafter as possible the necessity of himself from his wife brought this duty at an time he made arrangements to give up his residence in boston doing all of those petty and disagreeable things which the law demands of a man who ceases to fill the position of a husband with a view to final separation under the seal of a court he his landlord for one thing that he should surrender his flat on a given date packed up and went to live again in with her mother to mrs s inquiries the young wife returned the replies i have taken your advice once in these matters mamma and made a great failure of it this time i must act on my own judgment and i have not we are never going to live together again that s all don t talk to me about it or on any account to any one else and poor crushed mrs fell into the plan for want of anything else to do this little daughter of hers had suddenly become the bigger woman in strength of mind we shall all be happy mamma by and by said soothingly wait have patience and you will see while anxious to preserve appearances mr was not willing to be separated entirely from his margaret their marriage bond and his child they removed to one of the of new york where he visited them at regular intervals there was a long time to wait according to the laws quite three years and he thought this no more than he had a right to do for several months margaret argued the matter over with him every time he called she had no right she said to take him from that lovely woman who had offered her such kindness but one day after a trip to boston he whispered something in her ear that made her start oh if you are certain of that she exclaimed it would make me feel so much better about it are you sure there is no doubt things began to resume the even tenor of their way during the succeeding year two events worth came to the people in whom the reader is interested one was the sale to the company of a considerable portion of the land owned by mr and mrs the sale did not in either case include the homes nor the nearest land about them mr the transaction and at the request of the owners paid off the held by i ll have to take the money i suppose said but i d much rather let it lie of course the security was ample then he added to himself i ll write to and try to square myself doesn t come home any more they say the most i can expect now is to regain a little of her good opinion and much good that will do me confound it there was over a hundred thousand dollars left out of the sale after settling the and mr wrote to mr a formal business letter asking what he should do with it their marriage bond give it to was s reply she will need it then mr wrote to asking the same question give it to she answered it will help him in his business it was finally arranged that the sum should be divided on the exact lines of the original as mrs s estate was the larger the larger sum went accordingly to her mrs brightened at the news the home in which she lived was now secure and the money removed her and her daughter from the danger of want it was no more she said than right to have the sum divided thus mr had deserted her daughter without just cause and the least he could do was to secure her material

is a theme that has been used by a thousand and it seemed impossible that there could be anything essentially new in such an experience does the case differ so much then i inquired from those that have already been made the subject of romance in every particular replied my friend at least it is totally unlike anything have seen in print not only this but i believe it unique as an actual occurrence if you wish i will outline it to you my curiosity was now fairly alive i begged mr to begin at once and not to content himself with an outline either but to give me the fullest details of which he was possessed he answered that this would need considerable time and i said i was at his disposal even if it took all night u i cannot tell he said whether it will require five hours or ten to give you the details i have gathered they are in a somewhat state in my mind and will have to be put together slowly and as i hinted in the first place the most interesting part beginning with a mystery o die matter is still veiled in mystery perhaps you will be able to the hidden threads and complete the story to your own satisfaction but certainly none of miss s friends have yet been able to learn the least thing beyond what she has chosen to tell them i asked if he would permit me a few questions in advance of his narrative by all means he said as many as you please to begin with how did you learn the facts you are about to relate from george mrs and miss mainly was the response the young lady s father made a of me in many things her mother i also knew to some extent then i have talked by the hour with drew and his wife with dr and mrs you will hear more of these people presently that is miss has discussed matters with me as freely as if i were her brother or even her sister and the baby miss s baby knows me as well as a young gentleman of his age could be expected to do and has jumped and in my arms within the last three weeks i was silent for a moment then i remarked in a subdued tone that such cases were very sad especially when they happened among the better educated and more classes they made one doubt whether the world was not growing worse instead of better miss would not agree with you said quickly she is the happiest young of mother i ever knew in her sweet face there is not a single tinge of regret i stared at my friend in astonishment and she is an mother i exclaimed precisely then her reason must be i asserted certainly not in the ordinary sense he answered aside from this matter of the child she appears as sensible as any other healthy girl she in nearly everything else to the prevailing fashions she dresses for instance in the usual mode she looks lives and acts like the rest of her sex so far as i can see her signature on a business paper is never disputed she keeps to herself a good deal but that is because the majority of women do not like to associate with one who has proved her belief in such or as she would call them advanced doctrines however does not care for society her time is more pleasantly spent with her child whom she passionately sane why yes no jury would question her ability to care for herself her boy or her property i waited a moment and then inquired who was the father of the infant that is the mystery said from the little we have learned it appears that the man is dead dr drew this from her with a few other particulars of little importance during a few hours when she stood in imminent danger of dying and she has never denied or modified her statements the only trouble is she will not add the least syllable to them beginning with a she does not appear to mourn him very deeply i suggested no not as a woman would mourn a husband or a lover the doctor says the tears came into her eyes when she mentioned that he was no more but she has not put on either literally or she sings smiles well and acts quite the opposite of broken hearted to this i remarked after reflection that her conduct was not to be wondered at judged from one a fellow of that kind did not deserve to be very sincerely regretted a fellow of what kind asked one who would deceive a girl and then desert her my companion smiled but this man did nothing of the sort said he did nothing of the sort i echoed did not deceive or desert her neither the one thing nor the other that is a riddle i replied nothing but the simple truth miss freely admits to all who care to discuss the matter with her that if there were any deception it was on her part not his i nodded oh it was miss who deceived and deserted her lover something of that nature assented with another laugh but let me say that if you keep on at this rate you will take all the interest out of my story it is a girl s way rather than a man s out of to through the pages of a book and read the last chapter first i admitted the truth of the observation and said there were only one or two other things that i wanted to know before settling myself into the attitude of a patient and listener i presume you will tell me next i added that the father of miss

s child met his death on account of a broken heart by his regret at losing her i would oblige you with the greatest pleasure replied if i were a tale for the occasion as mine is unfortunately a truthful one i must do otherwise no as i understand it the pangs of love did not cut short the career of this person but a much more thing a bullet it was getting interesting indeed so she shot him i exclaimed well a man who would permit a woman to deceive betray and desert him deserved no better fate mr s amused face showed me even before he spoke that i had fallen into another error she did not shoot him he said then he shot himself which was quite the best thing he could do no he did not shoot himself was there another woman in the case i asked it is not believed that there was when you have heard all i know about this matter in case you are ever ready to let me tell you your theories will be advanced with more precision dr robert beginning with a son and i have concluded by comparing the little we have heard that miss cared about as much for this man as you do for that lady on the opposite side of the way to whom you have never spoken he became the father of her child without the least affection on her part and he did not live many days after she met him he was dead and buried months and months before little was born there was a chilly air about the story i was glad that could assure me that the father came to his death by other hands than those of the fair miss even if it was by some person or persons to the unknown otherwise thoughts of life where guilty lovers of are in and dropped into the would surely have themselves if all you say is without deception i said there is but one other theory miss was the victim of an assault laughed once more the laugh of one who has a certainty of his secret wrong again he replied in that case the man would surely have died by her hand instead of by that of another you would agree to this if you had met miss i should be happy to introduce you by the way if you ever happen to meet us together would you care to have me i responded that i could tell better about that when i had heard the whole of his story very well said in order to get to the end of a tale one of the principal is to make a beginning and that if you will excuse me out of from answering any more questions at this time i will now proceed to do i bowed and asked him to proceed and proceeded the reader will please understand that the following chapters to the end of the twenty third are in the language of mr and to ease the mind of those who remember that his story was begun while we were strolling on the lake shore let me explain that it was finished very late that night in my apartment at the hotel a r miss s parents chapter ii the tragedy of my life it has been well remarked by somebody said that one cannot be too careful in selecting his miss s chief error was in the choice of her father and mother her more remote ancestors so far as i have been able to ascertain were people who got along without making any particular impression upon the community an eminently proper thing let me remark for ancestors to do a person is better off i contend with of that kind than with those who hav the tragedy of my life been either great or great he will have neither the bad reputation of the one to live down nor the high standard of the other to but s father and mother got into trouble over her at a very early stage in her career and their conduct must have contributed toward making her what she is to day before i had known george a week i knew that he was not on the most cordial terms with his wife how did i find this out by making inquiries i made just one the answer to which informed me that he was not a upon his desk were several photographs of his daughter but nothing that indicated the nature of mrs b s i commented upon the beauty of the child and saw the devoted look in his face as he turned toward the pictures is she your only one i asked and there was a most peculiar expression to his eyes as he answered yes my only one before i had called many times began to give me more particulars about this child he seemed delighted to tell of what a comrade she was to him of excursions they made together of evenings spent at home in her company never did he make the faintest allusion to his wife and the whole tenor of his remarks indicated that he had none there are people one takes to as if by instinct i got to liking in a very brief time soon a friendship sprang up between us such as does not often follow a mere transaction this is the more because as he often told me i was one of only three or four men with whom he had ever been in the least degree confidential his face out of brightened whenever i entered his office and business was always laid aside until my departure when i asked him to go to lunch with me he replied that he invariably took his meals at home expects me my little girl you know he said with

infinite tenderness i never disappoint her when i turn the corner i can always see her face at the window in winter time like this and in summer she runs to meet me i fear we appear silly to the neighbors now that she has grown so big i have been told that i care too much for her and perhaps i do my feelings come very near to the against after this confidence i could not help remarking that it would give me great pleasure to see miss for whom i admitted i had conceived a warm admiration did not reply to my suggestion for a moment and i could see his face as he realized that a question of politeness was at issue i did not hesitate he said finally because i have any doubt that i should like to have you come or that would be glad to see you the fact we receive hardly any visitors however an exception shall be made in your case and you may choose as early a date as you desire having said this mr launched into several complimentary expressions which were very agreeable to me coming from a man i esteemed so highly i assured him that i should regard the privilege of entering his home all the more from the fact that it was one so seldom accorded you put the case too strongly he smiled we are very plain people you will see an ordinary the tragedy op my life house with nothing extravagant in the there is but one jewel within its walls that child of mine she must be very dear to you i remarked she is everything to me said he gravely i guard her with the greatest care and yet not in the way that most fathers would think of following while i take pains that her shall be of the best i have not kept her ignorant of the fact that sin forms a part of the arrangements of nature she is hardly thirteen and yet she is as wise indeed in a true sense wiser than many young women of twenty the knowledge that is allowed to come to most girls in a and distorted shape has been imparted to her so gradually that it contains nothing gross when you have seen her i want you to say whether she is not as thoroughly as if she had been lied to and out of information as necessary to her well being as the air she breathes i have been warned that it is a great mistake to be so frank with her but i do not believe it if my experiment were to fail there would be some signs of it before now if there is a danger point she has passed it as i did not pretend to understand the subject and indeed did not thoroughly comprehend at the time what he meant i was silent he repeated that he was at home nearly every evening and should be glad to see me at my earliest convenience there are so few to take a young girl to he exclaimed with a sigh one of be they ever so good the theatres have reached a point where many of the plays are out of the question we have done the art galleries re out of there is no choice but to stay at home come any evening you like you will be certain to find us in a night was chosen the third one from the day on which we held this conversation and at eight o clock i ascended the steps of mr s residence he was watching and came immediately to meet me as soon as my were disposed of he took me into his library and before sitting down went for his daughter here is my child he said leading her in my friend mr even if i had never heard anything about the girl if i had been sitting there on ordinary business and had merely noticed her enter the room i should have been strongly attracted toward her my powers of description are wholly inadequate to convey to you the impression she made upon me with the form and stature of a child of thirteen she had a look and manner several years older though her face was not understand this perfectly one of those aged ones that make us wish the vanishing youth would until its proper time for departure it was as fresh and rosy as any infant s before she spoke i noticed her extreme the perfect confidence the absence of timidity and yet nothing like the words that issued from her lips were correct in but neither nor strained her tones were sweet and natural she gave me her hand frankly with a clasp something like that of a boy no doubt to the close companionship she had had with her father rather than with girls of her the of my life age i felt toward her as i had done toward mr when i first knew him i accepted her without reserve there was no attempt at formality in the talk that followed we discussed the affairs of the day exactly as if had been a grown woman she surprised me by proving in the occasional remarks that she that she was a regular reader of the daily newspapers she knew for instance a good deal about a bill that was at that time being discussed in and expressed her opinion as to whether it would pass the house of representatives which was shown by the way in after days to be a correct one a trial for had not escaped her observation when it was alluded to by me she showed much interest in it asking a number of questions as to the points involved that i was entirely incapable of answering she knew the city from north to south and

from river to river as well as a thousand things i should never have expected would enter the head of such a child it was very seldom to put it fairly that her father and i touched any subject on which she had not a considerable stock of information and where she did not understand she was ready with her anxious to let no opportunity escape to inform herself two hours passed in this way to my great entertainment when the clock struck ten mr asked if she would not like to show mr her upon which the child and herself in the most charming manner went to fetch them i exclaimed as soon as she was out of out of hearing has she kept the of her child hood till now her childhood echoed with a start her childhood why she is in the very fruit and flower of it did you think childhood ended when a girl reached her cares for her as much as she did five years ago in fact i think she grows of them every day this statement filled me with intense surprise i had been noting this girl s remarkable stock of knowledge and had come to consider her a of learning she had carried herself in our company with all the ease of ten additional years retaining still the gentleness and grace of her extreme youth but how could i conceive that the mind which had been devoted for the previous quarter hour to the triple alliance and the russian understanding would turn with equal interest to the of papa said the young voice as its owner reappeared at the door don t you think as there are so many mr had better come and see them in their own quarters mr and i complied with the suggestion and a moment later we were in a room such as i certainly had never seen before though no doubt there are others somewhat like it the furniture with the exception of several larger chairs was of a pattern and consisted of beds etc of a size to fit the occupants which were at least fifty in number it was in short the most complete nursery you could imagine and you still play with them i could not help the tragedy of my life saying for the fact was incomprehensible in view of what else i had seen and heard u of course i do laughed the fresh young voice i spend two hours here every day it is the greatest fun i have names for them all and their histories are written down in this book showing me a large like volume and i have in this little chest when they are sick and each has her summer clothes as well as winter ones as you can see by examining this closet i think they are the sweetest things in the world except except the child hesitated several seconds real truly babies had a wistful expression as she said this that i shall never forget it was a look like that of a starving child who spoke of food quite a nurse isn t she said mr gazing fondly at his offspring and she is just as capable of taking care of living children as of these we feel the same way about it and i you ought to be here some time when we have one of our infant parties half the babies in the neighborhood and puts them around the floor here each with a toy to keep it quiet and we have the most delightful time i asked her once what she wanted to be when she grew up we were speaking of professions and she said a mother the little daughter nodded assent to the statement i do envy the mothers so she cried not attempting to conceal her enthusiasm sometimes when i have carried all my babies home i sit down i out of and cry even my dear do not seem the same to me after that returning to the in their and beds she took them up one by one and introduced them to me with great solemnity giving the names of each along with bits of personal gossip which is the eldest i asked to show my interest though my mind was wandering far from the subject under consideration why the largest of course she laughed taking up a doll half as big as herself declared that the joke was on me that time then he said good night to his daughter who took my hand again in the same frank way she had grasped it when introduced and we were left alone there ought to be a baby in this house for to play with i said as i stood a few moments later with my overcoat on in the front hall my host staggered as if about to faint and his face you have touched upon the tragedy of my life my friend he said in a very low tone some day i mean to tell you its history i wanted to say something in the nature of an apology but could not exactly frame the expressions it was evident however that he did not feel the need of anything of the kind for he said in a kindly voice as i stepped out into tho snow laden air housekeeping under difficulties chapter iii housekeeping under difficulties when i thought over the events of that evening there were several things that i noted particularly mr had but one member of his family upon whom he his affection that one was equally in her love neither of them had alluded in the remotest manner to a wife or a mother mrs who certainly existed and who as certainly was an of that residence had not made her appearance during my call and then there was the strange remark of my friend as i was

about to leave when i said to him that there ought to be a baby in the house for to love he responded in tones that indicated the deepest feeling that i had touched upon the tragedy of his life some day he added i mean to give you its history the history of a personal tragedy must be a most interesting thing to hear the story of a it was undoubtedly judging by the contemporary evidence but beyond any feeling of curiosity i felt an intense longing to know what had made my friend the crushed and silent man i had found him a man with few and one whom hardly anyone could say they really knew or understood the promise he had given was fulfilled though out of not in the way i anticipated he never gave me a account of his troubles in anything like the form i am going to give them to you it was by one conversation after another by hearing a little to day and more to morrow by adding what i learned from others and by using my own intelligence that i fully comprehended at last what had happened it was not a tragedy in the ordinary sense of that abused word there had been no killing in hot blood no quick and angry blows but to him it was a tragedy just the same in that it the best of his being and made him for the rest of his days a of a nature naturally open and frank sunny to a degree glad to walk in the brightness of all things human he had been changed to a cynical man of business whose only wholly side was the one turned toward his daughter it appears that he was born in the village of in the western part of the state and was at an early age left a half orphan he grew up with the reputation of being a good boy faithful to his mother and to the utmost as the family had little in the way of property george obtained employment as soon as he from the grammar school in a works for a while he devoted the whole of his small salary to his mother who lived with him in a cottage she had inherited doing her own work and caring for nothing but her boy by the time he had reached his twenty fifth year everybody had set george down for a confirmed bachelor he never housekeeping under difficulties would marry as long as his mother lived that was certain their household was a most affair mrs was one of those women who have an instinct for order she had a place for everything and everything was always in its place her were on the table at half past six in summer and seven in winter the date at which the hour was changed was taken from the coming as regularly as the alterations she had her washing done on monday her on tuesday and her on wednesday and saturday as regularly as those days arrived on a certain day in april mrs cleaned house on a certain day in november she her from the time he was old enough to understand anything george knew what each day in the year would bring forth in that house he fell into his mother s habits as easily as he fell into the habits of breathing and walking indeed until she was in her grave it never occurred to him that any house could be much differently arranged perhaps it was this quality that first attracted the attention of george s to him and laid the foundation of his improved circumstances no time was ever lost in s department he could answer any question concerning his part of the building without delay and with accuracy there was no waste either through or in every drop of his blood there was written the proverb take care of the small things and the large ones will take care of themselves out of if all my were like said the manager once this concern would clear ten thousand dollars a year more than it now does with this about little things with his horror of there was still a generous vein in this young man he often remained for hours after work was over to teach a new to perform his duties better if from those who were placed under him he the fullest obedience and the best service he was ever ready to praise work well performed though he was not on terms of close intimacy with anyone at the factory not a man there would have been more deeply regretted had anything occurred to take him away he had but a few hours warning of his mother s death when he found himself alone he was stunned for a time for some months he refused to allow anyone to take her place he cooked his own meals as well as he could rather than have the articles she had used touched by other hands then he dined outside still sleeping in the cottage and spending most of his evenings there alone this grew monotonous and people began to say in such a way that it reached his ears that he ought to get married get married oh no the idea was too strange he had never walked home even from church or singing school with any woman but his mother he had never seen but one girl that he would have thought of in such a connection were it possible to think of anyone and she was now the wife of drew one of the travelling men in the employ of the company for which he worked when people grew bold enough to tell him under difficulties to his face that he ought to have a wife he admitted in his heart that if drew were still single he might

have asked her this was as far as he could go but was out of the question and the life he lived was becoming he thought of engaging a housekeeper a second cousin of his father s applied for the situation and during the next year this woman his home on the whole it was worse than boarding out miss was not at all like his mother her of order was situated in a after she had been three days in the house george could not find anything he wanted she was determined to make the place look tidy and to secure this result she put things away in places no one else would have thought of promptly forgetting where george fretted over this mildly at first and begged her not to interfere with his personal property but the fault was in her nature then meals were served with frequently he had to snatch a bite as he called it and hasten to the factory at high speed because the articles she was cooking were not quite done to a man whose life had been regulated by the clock these things were extremely miss showed when remonstrated with that she considered his unreasonable to her a half hour either way in a meal was a matter of no importance she did not believe she used to say that the manager would discharge him if he were a few minutes late once in a while and if george hunted the house from garret to cellar for something he had left on the table in his u out of room six hours previous miss s showed that she did not appreciate his condition of mind she was like an instrument that continually runs behind there are men who could face a lion with firm nerves but are driven distracted by the continual of a george was one of these men he spent a great deal of time when at home with hoping to invent something that would bring him a greater than he could expect to receive as a mere when he found at a critical moment that an important part of his work had been interfered with his temper was sorely tried generally it seemed too small a matter to get into a rage about and besides it was contrary to his nature to show anger to a woman no matter what the trouble was he always saw something of his mother in the person of any member of her sex it is the the little that spoil the vines when a certain type of person has borne all he can he breaks in a twinkling george had worked late at night for six evenings over a combination of from which he had great hopes he had told miss several times each day that she must on no account disturb the shelf on which he had placed his bottles at the last moment he discovered that she had done the mischief the work of a week under the most favorable conditions had gone for naught when he stepped out into the sitting room where his housekeeper was she saw an unusual commotion in his countenance housekeeping under difficulties you have been interfering with my things again he said in a low voice i only straightened them up she answered with a defiant air it is not possible that i did any harm and the shelf had to be he could not trust himself to reply but that noon he took all the materials with which he had worked at home and carried them to the factory where he began again the work that had been interfered with a thousand followed however he could not spend all his evenings away from home and he did not wish to if only for the looks of the thing but if he stayed in there was invariably something to his disposition it was his custom to don a pair of slippers after tea take his evening paper and occupy himself with it for an hour now it became the rule rather than tha exception that when he got ready for his paper it was not to be found miss on being appealed to would say she did not remember seeing it and doubted if it had been delivered or else that she might have put it into the stove by mistake taking it for an old one sometimes she had wrapped up a parcel with it to give a messenger who had taken it away miss believed in her inmost heart that george made a fuss about such things because it was his nature to find fault the price of the newspaper was two cents and to her mind that represented its full value she did not stop to think that there were no others for sale in the and that an hour s time was spoiled when he had endured this as long as he could he had a bo out of made with a lock and key in which the put the paper securely when he made his rounds it would require a book as large as this one merely to give a list of the things of this kind that as used to say tore him up by the roots when anything could not be found in its proper ace a nd this became the normal condition of the establishment miss had a answer that drove him wild i will hunt for it the shirts sent back from the might be in the parlor or the but never in the drawer where they belonged when after a prolonged search one was discovered no or collar was ever in its vicinity at one time george began to think he could find his things by looking for them in the place most unreasonable to conceive of and occasionally this plan served but there was no rule even to the of the house a case

think you would like i will let you know it seems so odd though to imagine you married there was something that he wanted to ask her and he did not know how to put it into the best form it s all right is it he inquired i mean marriage is a good thing you know there s been considerable in the papers about its being a failure she looked gravely at the earnest eyes i have found it heaven she responded with reverence there must be some grave fault where it is otherwise george was not so ignorant but that he knew of mrs drew s approaching as she uttered that statement with the in her eyes and the smile of perfect content on her lips she seemed more angel than human as he walked home he resolved that he would marry that he would know the experiences that could bring such happiness he entered his solitary home the walls of george and which had never seemed quite so silent they must echo to the sound of a new voice they must feel the glory of another presence within a few weeks a former friend of mrs drew s a young lady with whom she had spent a year at boarding school came to make her a visit as passed the window one evening on his way home called miss s attention to him there is a man in a thousand she said do you know any very nice girl who wants a husband i have promised to look up a wife for him miss had had her experience falling desperately in love two years before with a young man of the town where she resided who after the was set suddenly disappeared and never was heard of again for some time she took a violent dislike to all the male sex and was heard to declare that she would live and die an old maid no matter what offers she had but she was still young only twenty three and this story interested her before long miss obtained an introduction to mr her visit to lasted more than a month and when she returned home she wrote to drew that they were engaged you are not to mention it to anyone for the world she said it is to be kept a secret for the present i know you will be surprised and i feel a little that way myself i had determined to live single but perhaps i shall be happier in the married state you can talk to him about it but to no one else mind until i give you leave mrs drew to put it mildly was not pleased at this news she had not suspected what was going out of on and women do not fancy being in such matters george was so slow with the female sex that she could not understand how he had made such progress after knowing miss but weeks altogether was not the she would have picked out for him and yet had she been pressed for a reason she could not have told you why she felt at not being consulted before the fatal words were spoken but she was too good a woman to let these thoughts mar her congratulations and the first time she saw george she told him he had her warmest wishes for a happy future i suppose it seems rather sudden to you he said in a tone of apology but during the month i have grown so i can hardly live then i knew that i mean miss was a dear friend of yours and that was enough for her we are only to wait two months is that too soon she said september was a very good time of year mrs drew could see it all now miss had done most of the certainly george would never have made such rapid progress with a less interested girl well it might turn out all right there was no use in worrying over it but say all she could was not the wife would have chosen for this man she was a dear friend of yours sweet and pathetic reason how dearly she hoped he would never regret the step as for there was no question that the marriage was a good one for her there were few men like george it was in september the month she had selected george and that george brought his young wife to and took her to the home his mother had made sacred to him she was to take the place and more than the place of that parent mrs the second was naturally a quiet girl previous to her wedding the conversations between the lovers had been of extremely limited extent on his part everything had been taken for granted he thought in his simple that the duties of wives and husbands were fixed by law he had heard to be sure of cases that did not come up to the proper standard but he believed them confined to a lower class of society with which he had nothing to do he weighed the solemn words of the minister before whom their vows were taken and never dreamed that there could be of the least thing that was spoken and there were other things not alluded to established by custom so clearly that to repeat them would be the merest nonsense being willing to give to his wife all he was all he had all he could make himself he expected the same in return the concern for which worked the occasion of his marriage by adding five hundred dollars a year to his salary it rather cooled the delight which he felt when he went home with this news to have receive it with the announcement that the house needed quite that amount to make it in the way of furniture he

thought his things very good they had been good enough for his mother and when the wife added that the increase in salary would give him no excuse not to employ a servant one of those clouds that he had thought gone forever crossed his forehead out of bought the furniture desired and engaged the servant for he had no intention of denying anything he could afford to give her but he did not change his opinion that the wife might have done the little work there was for the present with the and sent out he had to raise himself above his present position he believed a few thousand dollars would enable him to realize a fortune out of an invention in the line on which he had spent his leisure moments for years he had part of the money already saved and the increase in his salary had meant a hastening of the day when he would have all he required for the purpose still he bought the things and hired the servant as i have said and the first months of his wedded life were not wholly devoid of happiness the cottage was brighter for the presence of a young woman of some attractions and the meals thanks mainly to the servant were well cooked and served en time not being inclined to the new husband did not mind as much as some men might the constant novel reading for which mrs proved herself an he was at the factory most of the day and at night it was just as well to see her wrapped in a book as anything else while he went on with his experiments now conducted with perfect safety at home there was no danger that the would be for dust might have accumulated an inch deep on them without his wife s attention it was rather sometimes to note the languid look with which she met his delighted cries that he had george and made a successful combination but he grew used to this she was not to blame if her enthusiasm did not equal his in a field of which she knew nothing when the great day should come and he could show her the result of all this tiresome detail she would appreciate it then in the meantime he could afford to wait there was another thing that troubled him more something that he could not complain of even to her without feeling ashamed mrs had a for the physical tokens of love almost to aversion george would have a different woman to her heart s content but all such advances were received in a manner that made him timid at first he gave a kiss when he left the house and when he returned but she offered him her cheek more as if she expected a blow than a caress if she was reading and she usually was he often had to speak twice before she answered his remark i said good bye he would repeat with his hand on the door and a slight start as of one who would rather not be disturbed she would say without raising her eyes oh yes good bye certainly it was not marriage as he had conceived it earth brings nothing so sweet as the first months of wedded life to those who are happily this period was almost wholly lost to the they did not quarrel but neither was there much love making there was no pair of birds in any tree in that could not have set them a better example out of none of their neighbors noticed anything none but drew who still had this marriage on her conscience and whose eyes were watchful she knew things were not exactly right though she did not understand just how they were george took his wife to church as do al self respecting people in small towns whether they have any interest in the doctrines preached or not they also went to some of the parish meetings and occasionally to of other kinds when the weather was fine they walked together in the evening george had always been a man of sober mien and the absence of a smile on his face did not surprise his fellow n mrs drew alone noticed that there was a new expression there one she did not like to see she was the more sorry because she had such an ideal married life of her own and was now the mother of a beautiful little girl that looked like its proud papa something is the matter with george and she said to herself i wish i could help them ah there is one thing that would bring them completely together she added with a blush if they ever get a beam of sunshine in the house like my little it will end all their differences tell me you love him chapter v tell me you love him but there was not likely to be any such beam of sunshine as baby in the home of the there are people who say that sun the carpets as no doubt it does and who take particular pains that it shall never shine in at their windows there are many houses in america where shades are kept closed tightly and blinds pulled down from january to december lest a little of god s purest and sweetest light should penetrate and make its presence known thanks to her house was one of these is looking finely said to mrs drew one day in the spring that followed i see she is beginning to creep already the fond mother gazed with pride at her offspring in lovely helplessness on the floor of her sitting room yes indeed she exclaimed i don t see how we ever got along without her a home with no baby seems to me now just no home at all that is what you

want to make your house perfect mrs shook her head with decision never she said if i had had any fear of that i should not have married mrs drew she felt danger of from one who uttered such oft of you can t imagine how awful your words sound she replied marriage with no children and no hope of any it would be like a desolate orchard with neither shade nor fruit besides she added george is remarkably fond of children let him have them then said mrs with a sarcastic smile never shall i assure you there it is useless to discuss the matter my mind is wholly made up the young mother felt her lip beginning to tremble does does he know she faltered why of course not i m not a goose i hope i don t see as it s any of his business after her visitor had gone mrs drew cried for an hour she was so sorry for george she had said to herself a hundred times when the baby comes that will make everything right with never a child to bring their hearts together there would be no real happiness for this couple at when passed on his way home he smiled to see her at the window with in her lap and threw the a kiss that spoke volumes how unjust life was to some of the best men what had this poor fellow done to be condemned to such a marriage no children a deliberate determination never to be a mother horrible surely god would punish in some fearful manner such a wicked woman on the first of july came home with a brighter look he told his wife that his salary had been raised again that it was now to be a he explained to her in the of his joy tell me you love him what plans he had made talked of the hope he had nursed so long if he could save a third of this salary for three years more with what he already had he would feel justified in in his venture and it would bring him he felt sure a handsome income and independence by by a time when he could retire from work altogether and spend the rest of his days in peace and comfort he talked so fast at first that he did not notice how little she seemed to appreciate the importance of his communication you know i have never liked this house she said when he paused for breath i think the first thing you should do is to build or buy a better one and there are many things we need that are more important than trying speculations and perhaps losing it all i have not said much because i don t like to keep asking but my clothes are in a terrible condition and in one second he saw the truth she was selfish to the core she was absolutely indifferent to him or to his welfare in all her thoughts he took a secondary place he recalled a thousand evidences of her carelessness for his wishes his anger was too great to allow him to utter a word but he strode from the house and did not return till late that night there was the possible distance between them in their bed once when she touched his shoulder accidentally in a dream he instinctively he was like one chained to a fellow prisoner whom he in the morning he arose at an unusual hour and made himself a cup of coffee after which he went out when heard that he had gone it did not dis out of her in the least she merely settled herself into a comfortable position and took another nap he came home to dinner and to tea but he said nothing to his wife in any form nor did she speak to him after tea he went to his office and remained till eleven o clock this arrangement he for the next week without finding that objected he had an idea that she might express her regret at what had occurred and promise in future but the fact was that she considered the injury all on his side the novels she read were sufficient to console her if he came home before ten he found her reading if after that hour she was asleep she did not act in a surly manner but exactly as if she did not care what he did one way or the other these things wore on more than he was willing to admit he thought with a sigh that he now had even less of a home than before he married the presence of one in the house with whom he was on disagreeable terms was worse than solitude he had not by nature a disposition and the violence of his anger somewhat but he cherished sentiments toward his wife the reverse of affectionate why had she married him she had a home with her step father why had she cared to change it for his it was clear that she had not loved him even at the beginning he recalled her attitude at the threshold of their married life that of to the inevitable rather than of finding the happy haven she had sought the more he thought the more puzzled he became he wished there was to whom he could go for information tell me you love him there was no one but drew and he did not want her to know of his but how long was this to last he was less than thirty years of age he might live to be ninety would that woman sit there opposite to him all those years as like as she was to day would she insist on calling herself his wife and render him none of the grace and sweetness of that position the

most thing of the whole matter was that the troubles came about such insignificant things he thought how silly it would seem to another person and yet it was killing all that was best in him though mr and mrs continued to under the same roof and there was no that the public knew of relations ceased between them one cannot clasp to his heart a woman with whom he is on terms of open warfare mrs drew had never been to his house since that conversation with his wife in which the cool determination to remain was announced though mrs had called on her occasionally hardly seeming to notice that she was received with less warmth than formerly did not mean to quarrel with her manner toward her was the result of instinctive aversion that she could not in the least control meeting george in the street one evening on his way back to his office she stopped to ask about his health i never saw you looking so badly she said you should go on a why don t you take to boston or new york for a week then all at once it came out if i went i should not take her he snapped out of mrs drew s face was very grave what is the trouble george she asked everything said gloomily we should never have married everything is wrong everything she looked at him in a puzzled way could he have learned the secret that had told her won t you explain a little she asked your wife comes in occasionally and she never speaks of an she has said nothing to show that she is unhappy oh no she is happy enough he answered quickly mrs drew murmured that she did not understand and you are looking so very ill she added you positively should consult a physician looked her full in the eyes i did not mean to say a word he said now that it is out let me tell you this if i live with her a year longer it will kill me the lady uttered a profound sigh you do not love her she asked hate her she could draw nothing more out of him but the next day she made herself a committee of one and called on mrs for a decided talk told her old friend that there had been no special that she knew of george was a peculiar fellow who made a great deal of trifles but she thought he was improving a little in that respect as time went on he did not spend many of his evenings at home but this was on account of mr understands things he had to do at the office and as she went early to bed she did not mind it but you love him don t you asked mrs drew he is your husband tell me that you love him love him repeated mrs slowly i like him well enough when he is not ill tempered mrs drew threw up both hands with a gesture of despair you have only been married a year she cried you and george ought to love each other with all the passionate devotion conceivable when he comes in to night put your arms around his neck and kiss him on the lips you are losing the best gift that god gives to a woman when you allow the slightest cloud to come between you and your husband mrs smiled at her friend s enthusiasm i don t think i understand that kind of love she replied thoughtfully chapter vi mr understands although mrs was not very the talk that had with her produced a certain effect george noticed a difference in her manner as soon as he entered the house he was more than willing to forget all that had passed if he could hope for a change in the future and he out of began to talk to in the old way his pleasure was great when he saw that she showed an interest in what he had to tell and instead of returning to his office that evening he remained at home when retired for the night he gave her the first kiss she had received from him in months had he not been a little ashamed and afraid he would have accompanied her to her room instead of going in a very lonely mood to his own the next day he thought the matter over a great deal and resolved that he would never get into another such quarrel no matter what the provocation he had passed through an experience that was simply horrible to find daylight again he was willing to make almost ny sacrifice within a week he had improved so v in appearance that people began to mention it in the way of congratulations mrs drew was one of these and no person in could have been more pleased things are better i am sure she said to him brightly coming to the gate as he was going by george i am so glad he admitted that things were better his home he reflected was far from the ideal but it was better it was and we judge things largely by their contrast with what we have passed through mr and mrs became man and wife again george kissed whenever he left the house and sometimes not always when he return he did not like to have her think he was it he knew he had never really been n love but he had ceased to hate his wife and this was certainly a very great gain on the first of january the concern sur mb understands by offering him a much better position if lie would go to new york he had never thought of living anywhere except in his native town and the world seemed very wide when its doors were thus

suddenly opened the additional salary was certainly an for it made him hope again that something might be saved out of it toward the fund he longed to he wanted to please and he had no idea how she would like such a change that evening he talked with her about the city intending to learn her views upon that matter before he told her of the offer that had been made him it took but a minute to discover that she would be very glad to move don t you like asked george with a tinge of regret in his tone personally he thought it the finest spot in the universe but then it was about the only one he had seen i should like new york much better she said quietly but there is little use in talking about it for i suppose we never shall go there when she heard that they could go that he would go if she wished it there was an hour that came very near being filled with happiness george was elated beyond measure there was no question about it now he would write to his that he would take the place and come as soon as he could make arrangements in a new he thought with a bounding heart perhaps and he could make another beginning under better the great hope of his life was a real true out of marriage existence it was not too late yet for his wife to redeem herself in all there was no one to whom he bade good bye with deep regret except drew she was so sorry to have him go that he was deeply touched he could see the struggle to hide her feelings forcing her lips to tell how glad she was at his success and how certain that he would get along splendidly in his new she held up for him to kiss and her lashes grew wet in spite of herself as she noticed the tender way in which he the infant you must come and see us when we get settled he said we shall not keep house at first but that will make no difference and you will write often won t you we shall want to hear the news will see us and tell you how we are during the next three years the at various places on the west side between and streets as far as business success was concerned it came faster than george had anticipated but his home affairs never were tranquil for long at a time there were periods when he became so out of patience with that he thought seriously of running away and never seeing her or anyone else he knew again to these there were times when he grew almost fond of her though these were much than the others the wife s indifference was usually so great that it nearly him if she had disgraced him in a way that he could take of if she had thrown kisses to men out of her window for mr understands instance he would have known just what to do but the everlasting coldness the eternal to be let alone the to be interrupted in the reading of the interminable novels that she still affected these were the things that darkened his life until at times he did not care how soon it ended there was one thing however for which he never ceased to hope and pray a child of his own how strange it is that we have been married almost five years and never had a little one he used to muse when he met the in the street with their occupants if there was a baby in my home i could forget all other disappointments in the joy of that acquisition drew used to see him frequently at the office and always brought some message from during the second year another child came to the drew s but when it was just beginning to the names of papa and mamma an carried the elder one away up to this time had never accepted the invitation to visit the but when she recovered partially from the illness into which this loss threw her and the local physician ordered her to take a complete change and rest she made the trip to new york leaving the new baby at mrs had always liked mrs drew though they were so in their tastes and habits and she made her very welcome as for george she seemed to him a particularly bright angel sent direct from the celestial in her mourning garments she was the picture of woe the loss she had suffered was evidently a severe one to her george pitied her from the hot out of torn of his heart but he said little on the he knew that sorrow is often doubled by a thoughtless display of too much sympathy the lack of a child in his own home was alluded to several times by mr in his talks with his guest he was still as anxious as ever about it and s blood boiled as she thought of the being upon him she tried again and again to impress mrs with the of her position but to no purpose a child she no indeed i the thought nearly drove her into mrs drew recovered so slowly that her husband decided that she ought not to return to at present the associations of their home were too closely allied with the baby s illness and death for her drooping spirits so baby was sent for and rooms engaged in the house where the a few weeks later this resulted in a proposition on s part to set up housekeeping where his friends could have ample accommodation as long as they chose to remain in the city his salary was now and his prospects of an increased from his

discoveries were of the brightest kind he was tired of boarding and with the in the house he thought the change a most desirable one to make as for she did not care he agreed to get her a housekeeper who would relieve her of all responsibility the house was engaged furnished mainly under mrs drew s direction and the occupants moved in the family lived in fashion mr drew was gone on account of his business a large share mr understands of the time mrs spent a good many evenings out but rarely mentioned that she was going until she had her on you will have to entertain you she would remark to her husband at the door meals were served almost literally at all hours rose a long time after george had gone to his office it was not much like her own marriage mrs drew thought often with a sigh how different this house would be if we only had a baby exclaimed one evening when they had lived in this manner the larger part of a year he and mrs drew were sitting alone i don t believe a man ever lived who more desired children he added with a gasp sometimes i have thought of a but that would not fill the awful void in my heart i want a child of my own good god he cried the tears standing to the full in his eyes why is it denied me the perspiration stood on his forehead in beads as he uttered this despairing wail woman to the core drew felt the full force of his intensity there are women who have more children than they desire pursued when he had partially recovered his and there are others who cannot have them no matter how they wish it heaven is very in its blessings i do not see how the priests can claim that god is a beneficent being shocked at what sounded to her like mrs drew rose to leave the room as she passed the chamber that mrs was accustomed to occupy she saw that the door stood wide open th out of pity so strongly aroused for the husband overcame her completely with the step of a she entered the room and took something from the then she walked slowly back to the parlor where mr was still sitting with his head buried in his hands before you condemn your maker she said in a trembling voice examine this raising his head he looked at the she laid on the table before him he realized from s excited manner that something unusual was her lifting the to his nostrils he slowly he was a and when he turned his gaze again upon his companion he uttered the word poison where did you find this he added do not answer at once already frightened at what she had done mrs drew shut her pale lips tightly together you got that in mrs s room he said with a wild look what could she have bought it for suicide no murder the words had escaped her lips uttered by an impulse she could not resist he stared at her with dilated eyes all his customary courtesy vanished give it back to me she cried starting up suddenly give it back to me i was mad to touch it i did not know what i was doing please oh i please give it back i will he answered severely when i have examined further into its nature and have learned for what use it was intended why did you bring among the it to me if you intended to surround it with all this mystery oh i have made an awful mistake she cried weeping if you value your peace of mind in this life your hope of heaven give it back to me his only answer was to motion her rudely to leave the room then he went to the place where his were kept it was hours later when he finished his investigation but the truth dawned upon him at last when drew met at breakfast the next morning she saw that she could tell him nothing he had the look of a wild animal that has scented its prey and means to it with stealthy step till it is brought to earth chapter vii among the each day now made drew more uncomfortable while she could never bring herself to the subject with mr it always stood between them like the ghost of mr drew who was a comfortable good natured fellow had but one creed in the world which was that his wife was the best and wisest woman living when she told him that she thought a change would do her good and that she would like to return to for awhile he without of and made the few preparations necessary to carry out that end the family furniture had been left in the and there was little to do but to proceed thither engage the services of a maid of and enter into possession accordingly mr drew mrs drew and miss drew now nearly two years of age announced to the that they were going home for the present and the with the same politeness that had made them welcome permitted them to do as they pleased about the slight cord that bound the families together mrs drew meant to talk to before leaving his house but he avoided giving her an opportunity to be with him alone he suspected what she had in mind and did not wish to debate the question with her had moments of alarm when she thought of what he had learned and feared that after she was gone the gathering tempest would break loose with fury she knew his state of mind could not be by the calm exterior which he invariably wore his sentiments toward his wife must be quite the

reverse of those which appeared on the polished surface she wanted to warn him against doing anything rash but at the last moment she had to write her caution at the station and send it to him by a messenger the letter though brief was intense and earnest enough to have moved him on any ordinary occasion it the long friendship the writer had enjoyed with him and lamented that in one thoughtless instant she had committed an error that no code of hospitality could justify if he cared for her he among the would act as if the unfortunate affair had never occurred read the letter with a cold smile after examining with a certain interest some on it that he took to be tear drops then he tore it into bits and scattered them to the four winds of heaven the season when everybody takes his annual soon approached mr and mrs had arranged to go to a secluded spot in the heart of the where george could secure an entire rest from business cares was not particularly pleased with the place selected but she reflected that she could read novels as well there as anywhere else so she bought an extra large number of the kind and packed them into her trunk with dresses principally intended for it correspondence had arranged everything a wagon met them at a small station and they rode thirty miles through the woods to the owner s dwelling at night they alighted quite prepared to believe it when told that their temporary home was several miles from any other dwelling that evening george walked out of doors and stayed till late his face was set and his step rigid what sound was it which in the which stirred the at his feet it came to him again and again that fearful word that drew had let fall murder t mr and mrs who owned this nest in the were quiet people who had made a out of living for many years by offering the of their house to hunters and during the winter mr did some or acted as guide to parties that came up from the city he also cultivated a bit of ground that his own hands had cleared of and broken to the had not come to hunt as the season did not permit of it but to fish the day following his arrival he set off with for a stream some distance away when he returned at night he bore few specimens of his skill but he had a contented look as if the day had not been wholly life at this place was as might have been expected and several days passed with nothing to mar its perfect serenity then mrs went out to meet her husband as he came home and he saw that her face was troubled there are thieves here she said when he asked her what the matter was i cannot leave a thing in my room but it is missing indeed he replied with elevated eyebrows what have you lost some medicine she said lam subject to dreadful and i had something that helped them very much it was on the mantel in our room this morning and now it is gone george laughed at the idea that mrs would an article of such slight value and as there was no other of the house he bade his wife search thoroughly have you no more he asked thoughtfully not a bit i shall feel uneasy all the time now that i know there are robbers about it is most i have looked everywhere i wish you among the would leave here and go to some other place to finish the rest of your she added they went to their bedroom and she showed him the spot where the missing article had been seen that morning he sat down and eyed her intently what else have you lost he inquired you said there were other things nothing worth speaking of she stammered but it is just as unpleasant for all that i shall feel like the door all the time now he said the idea was not a bad one though he could not bring himself to believe mrs would commit such an act he told her on no account to say anything to the landlady conveying her suspicion for the family had been recommended to him in the highest terms the next evening met her husband again some distance from the house i am just dying of headache she said i wish you would leave here to morrow you don t care so very much about this particular place do you allowed his fishing rod to drop to the ground while he leaned against a tree yes he said slowly i am very much in love with this section i haven t felt as well in years as i do here you can have your medicine sent easily enough give me the name of it and i will order all you wish it will only take three or four days to get it but my dear he added passing his arm about his wife in a caressing way that astonished her you do not look ill you are the picture of health out of she shook her head while the roses climbed over her cheek you don t know how my head feels she said pressing her hands to her forehead i have not said much because i didn t like to disturb you but the are terrible when they are the worst i can t read at all and then the here is frightful he took out a book and pencil with a look of sympathy we will have a cargo immediately he said preparing to write what did you say it was called confused beyond measure mrs stammered again a prepared it no he did not know her by name

only by sight the right way was to return home and go for it in person she was certain she would die before the express could come something the husband surely he stooped and gave his wife not less than a dozen kisses while they stood there discussing this question he acted as if he had met her for the first time and fallen desperately in love between his caresses he bade her try to remember the name or at least the of the so that he or she could write he did not like to go home at present it was certainly too far to go and return again in the brief time remaining he would take her with him on his fishing and she would leave her in the atmosphere of the mountain woods mrs shook her head sadly she walked slowly with her husband to the house but had no appetite for supper when they were alone in their chamber she cried a little he had never seen her in these moods and they were like revelations to the him he had been married five years to his wife and was just beginning to get acquainted with her on her side she was almost as much shed she had never imagined that his kisses could possess that he would act the part of a lover with all the passion and warmth one reads of in a romance the next day when mr went for the mail to a station ten miles distant mrs a note into his hand addressed to a store in new york of course the honest managed to let mr know about this letter and of course it never was sent but the hopes aroused by it up the wife s spirits for the next three days and she did not refuse when pressed to go to the fishing streams with her husband they took a lunch along and the time was not wholly when four days had passed she began to grow uneasy again she asked mr if he was certain that he had posted her letter saying that she expected a it may be a little late ma am he told her express things don t delivered in these parts a quick s they do in the towns it ll come all right but it may be a little after that the wife declined to go with the fishing party and george apparently from pure sympathy stayed at the with her indeed he did not allow her to get out of his sight during the next ten days at the end of that time she packed her things with eagerness and audibly expressed her joy that the was so soon to end then there came a series of misfortunes the s wagon was found on the morning out of set for their departure to have broken a tire and to be totally unfit for use over the rough roads mr swore at his ill luck and after trying for two days to mend the break with the tools at his disposal went on horseback to the nearest settlement for a that appeared to take his full time for it was three days before he arrived when he got there he discovered that it would be better to carry the wheel away with him and set a new tire at his shop this was the last seen of him for several days more and when mr rode after him on another horse he returned with the information that the man was sick with a slow fever and might not get well for a month we must go back to new york exclaimed mrs her patience completely exhausted i can ride a horse as far as the railroad you seem to be very calm about it she added to her husband what do you suppose they will think at the office to have you over stay your time like this u it is our season responded george and the agent told me when i went away to stay just as long as i liked but we ought to return and while i have not said much i am annoyed as well as you i shall tell that we must leave to morrow even if we have to go horseback and he will send our baggage as soon as he can i don t see he continued why he can t ride over to town and get a carriage to come after us it is a wonder we never thought of that before this plan which on the whole suited mrs the best of any yet advanced only served to make u what can you do p more delay started on the mission assigned to him but had gone but a few miles when a nail in his horse s shoe compelled him to return leading the animal by the bridle the second morning the only other horse on the premises was taken with a induced by getting loose in the night and himself with meal to which he was communication was now cut off entirely from civilization and a week passed during which the neither saw nor heard from anyone but their chapter viii what can you dot mrs had fretted herself into something very like a real illness by this time she was pale and wan refused to eat her meals and spent considerable of her time in weeping in this emergency george proved the most devoted of husbands when she was too sick to read he read to her out of one of her novels if she made the slightest motion at night he was wide awake inquiring what he could do for her and every time the came within sound of his voice that individual was in a high key for his inability to invent some plan to relieve the distressing situation at last after fully six weeks had elapsed from

the out of day the came to the mansion both of the horses suddenly recovered their and the his the wagon was loaded with its passengers and their baggage and its turned toward the railroad mrs s affectionate good bye and her warmly expressed hope that her guest would soon recover from her no response from the lady addressed but the good wife of the consoled herself after the party had gone by counting a handsome roll of left by mr considerably larger than any season s profits she had ever known before it was late at night when our friends reached their residence and early the next morning sent for a physician without telling his wife of his intention he had a few words with the medical man in the parlor and then went to call this is dr he said gravely when his astonished wife made her appearance i do not dare wait any longer without having your illness mrs he went on speaking to the physician is troubled with severe which last for weeks at a time knowing your skill i have confidence that you will be able to suggest the proper remedy mrs turned a variety of colors she had a feminine idea of the powers of her visitor s profession it seemed to her that dr could read her through and through my trouble is nothing that special services she stammered only a slight headache now and then i am quite well to day for instance and may not feel the pain again for a month or what can you do two my husband did not tell me he thought of calling you or i should have laughed at him both gentlemen rose as she left the room the doctor and mr had a conversation that lasted for the next hour during which time mrs was seen to leave the house soon after the physician went away the wife returned will you come here a moment called george from the library i want to see you she came to him in spite of herself for she dreaded the talk she expected she did not like a conversation in which people differed not for a moment suspecting that he knew her secret she was nevertheless disturbed as she sat down near her husband she laid a on the table and george reached over and covered it with his palm i want he remarked a she bear caught in a trap could not have presented a greater picture of baffled rage than did at that moment she saw everything in an instant she tried to speak thinking that she could him with her sarcasm but her organs refused their office her eyes flushed blood red her lips parted slightly the of her neck swelled you see that i know added bending toward the figure opposite to him now you will not be allowed to touch the contents of this in every line of her face was written the word hate in capital letters she shrank into the depths of the chair she occupied as if to get as far out of from him as possible and still her lips gave forth no sound i have been deceived cheated robbed by you cried the husband in a tempest of rage and i will endure it no longer you bear a life that belongs to me and before god i will have it a shade of deeper came to the pale already with of the speaker hands moved slightly as if they in imagination crushing something between them then rousing herself the wife rose still without uttering a syllable sit down he commanded in a voice of thunder you are dealing no longer with an idiot a i have not thought this over carelessly i shall take good pains that you do not me this time pausing between him and the door mrs glared at her husband what can you do she asked with a contempt of manner and tone that cannot be described you will see he replied between his teeth i have made my preparations you are not to leave this room alone when i go a nurse strong enough to bend you to her will takes my place when it is necessary for her to rest another equally alert and powerful will watch you in her stead from this hour we shall divide our time with you not for the of a second will you be permitted to be out of the sight cf one of us if you are wise you may go about the house as you have done if you are you will be limited to one room to which your meals will be brought what oak you do no in its cage annoyed by its keeper for the of the gaping crowd ever looked to bite its than did this slight young woman she showed her teeth in true fashion as she hurled back her answer wretch coward stand out of my way i will leave you this instant never to return no you won t he retorted sharply rising to bar her exit she laughed a wild laugh that chilled his blood fool she cried do you think you can a woman you as dull a man as ever lived chain me will you tell me where and when i shall move about hire guards to watch me and to what end that i may be the mother of your child if there were no other way to you i would cut my throat you don t know the kind of woman i am was surprised beyond measure at the passionate anger she had developed but he had no idea of in the least from his position know the kind of woman you are he repeated scornfully if i did not i might have tried to persuade you by soft words had i not been sure there was in your heart

of spirits is a natural thing on such occasions you will not only survive the birth of this child but a dozen more into the heavy eyes there shot a gleam of do you imagine i will ever live with him again she demanded in a half shriek dr shook his head in a positive way my dear woman said he you have no idea oi t of how the possession of a child will alter your views you will it and for its sake you will its father mrs bit her lips and drew a long breath of distress hear what i tell you she replied if i am so unhappy as to have it born alive i will never touch that child i hate it now and much more do i hate the wretch who has driven me to this agony the physician rose to go with the calm smile still on his mouth he had seen them so often these women he did not believe this one any different from the others but he was mistaken an hour after he had told of the birth of a little girl he asked the wife if she would not like to see her offspring and met with a so decided that he thought it wise to drop the matter for the time keep her away from me the woman said with meaning i warn you took only the usual time the young mother did not die nor was she at any time in danger of doing so in a fortnight she began to make preparations for home was informed of all she did but he did not care to interfere with her plans he told the not to let her touch the baby but said that in other respects she was to do as it best suited her as for himself he awaited one day a servant brought him a note in his wife s handwriting reading as follows it is with difficulty that i can bring myself to write to you but it seems the only thing to do for i could not bear the birth of a personal interview you and i can no longer live under one roof i wish to go and quietly if you put obstacles in my way you will only delay what must happen you have no invalid now to deal with but a woman of strength and will if i forbear to take the revenge i owe do not think i forgive you for that i shall never do e w b to this he sent the following reply i shall neither presume to advise nor direct you you are at full liberty to live where you please either in my home or out of it but as the mother of my child it is my wish to support you in the style to which you have been accustomed if you go away be kind enough to leave an address to which can be sent g b the tenor of this note surprised mrs she had anticipated a sharp collision with her husband she had believed that it would require legal proceedings to get money out of him if she chose to desert her home a slight took place in her feelings as she the altered situation she did not like the idea of going to her step father s her mother had died since her marriage and she was not over sanguine as to earning a very good living at any employment after a struggle between her pride and her fears she decided to take her husband at his word and adopt a middle course she left most of her at the house and made her exit with only a containing a few articles of daily necessity she wanted to breathe for a time a new atmosphere but not to cut herself entirely off from the old one before she departed she wrote another out of brief note to stating that she would receive what funds he chose to send her his answer was a liberal allowance for a month in advance and a statement that the same amount was at her disposal regularly the wife went to a resort that was just opening for the season and stayed there several weeks then when no one expected her she came home the house occupied by the was divided from this time into two parts mrs took rooms on the second floor and gave up all claim to the rest of the dwelling her meals were brought to her by her own maid who had nothing to do with any other tenant of the premises george the baby its nurse in ordinary his housekeeper and cook occupied the other ten rooms the household was thus maintained on what looked like an extravagant basis compared with the recent but the master did not complain though deprived of the society of his wife he found abundant consolation in that of his baby daughter in whose company he spent nearly all of his waking hours that could be spared from business mrs drew heard of the new arrival and her curiosity to learn the full of affairs brought her to the city on a visit when little was about four months old met her at the station and as they were driven toward his house he tried to make her understand things without a too full explanation you will have to divide your time between us he said in conclusion you can visit her by day and see me in the evening meals you can vary as the birth of it suits you i believe the same kitchen supplies both of us mrs drew uttered a cry of regret it seems impossible she cried doesn t she love her baby at all u she hasn t seen it she says she never will we were warned at the start to keep it out of

her reach if we did not wish it hurt i almost wish i had not come said mrs drew with a shudder don t say that answered it does me a world of good to see you and i have told her what an awfully nice girl you are and she is crazy to put her arms around your neck always liked you and will welcome you just as heartily as if i were not in the question only you will make a mess of it if you try to things out she won t let you go to her and really things are better as they are i couldn t make a wife of that kind of a woman again you see and if she continues to observe the it is as much as i can ask mrs drew put her hand involuntarily on the arm of her companion i pity you so she said this is not the fate you deserve as good and kind a man as you are i wish had not come to visit me at for then you never would have seen her i feel as if it was in some way my fault that you are in this unhappy situation oh you needn t pity me he replied with a bright smile little for everything my life is quite full now every moment i out of can spare from business is spent with the darling and i need nothing more the lady shook her head you do need something more she said very earnestly you need the loving companionship of a good true woman you are capable of making one happy and i cannot speak with patience of a creature who stands between you and your highest good george you ought to get a divorce he laughed a little and then suddenly grew grave on what ground he inquired if there has been any cruelty of the kind the law takes notice of it has been on my part she would have killed this child as she had done others had i not placed her under the guard of two strong determined women on whom i could absolutely rely you may imagine the state of her mind toward me during that period if she talks with you on the subject which i am sure she will not unless you begin it she will me as a monster in human form now you know the circumstances and you ought to be able to judge was i justified or was i not mrs drew hesitated to answer she said she could not imagine such a condition of things her own married life was so that she had nothing to guide her but she did know george and believed in his if he had taken severe measures his provocation was excessive you must see my baby the first thing he said as they reached the house the child s nurse a woman named mrs brought forth the conquering as the birth of soon as she heard mr had arrived and the young lady won the heart of her aunt instantly how lovely she is was the warm exclamation with which the child was greeted see her hold out her little hands i never saw a brighter child of her age come to me sweetheart who had her arms around the neck of her father lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed in the direction of the voice then in response to another invitation she plunged into the embrace waiting for her retired and the two friends were alone with the child and you say has never seen her asked mrs drew never not once then she shall it is an outrage she cannot be made of stone one glance at the face will win her i am sure there is no woman living who could look at this child and realize that it was her own flesh and blood without an overwhelming desire to take it to her heart george started but i should never permit her to do that he said quickly this is not her child it is mine all mine she has every right she ever had in it i would not let her touch it for all new york his manner was so earnest that his friend was abashed for a moment now it is you who are unreasonable she said at last a mother cannot her rights in her baby no matter what she has done this is just as out of much hers as yours if she can be made to think so you ought to thank god he refused to be convinced in the least i should be afraid to let her take it he said i should tremble if were to let out of her sight the bitterness still feels toward me might find a vent on this little one no you must not try to alter her determination disagreeable as things are a word from you might make them infinitely worse ah she replied you are hard and giving but you spoke as severely of her as i a few moments ago of what she had done yes but i would allow her to repent think what is before you thirty forty fifty years of this life this hatred toward the mother of the child you what will you tell when she is old enough to inquire why her home is different from that of other girls mrs drew held the child in her arms its head as she spoke and the emotion she felt made a tremble in her voice what shall i tell her he repeated i shall tell her the truth yes i have made up my mind to that i have had time to think of a great many things most children have two parents who share the responsibility for their bringing up will have but one between us there will have

to be the double relation of father and mother i will tell her the truth no matter what her inquiries are the lady shook her head again the of it is not you can t do it she replied you will find it out before she is five years old as to her mother leave that a little to my judgment i want to know her line of to this gave a reluctant consent but he added that the orders of mrs would be relaxed in no way must always be either in her or that of her father he would not trust his wife with her on any consideration you would trust her with me i think said mrs drew smiling not to take her out of sight he answered firmly in a house where mrs lives you are neither quick enough nor strong enough to cope with her i will bring to by and by for a visit and then you can have her all you wish if you came with your child and not your wife it would make gossip suggested oil that s a thing i must expect he said he held out his arms for the child who went back to him softly and then he rang the bell for the nurse when reappeared he gave the child to her and asked her to show mrs drew to the guest chamber don t your vigilance he added significantly never leave for one instant when i am not present i understand sir was the quiet reply of the woman out of chapter x i never had a child mrs drew s visit to the was not without its effect in a certain way she did not accomplish a reconciliation between the husband and wife nor did she succeed in a love of her child in the breast of the mother but she relieved the extreme strain of the conditions prevailing and made them less distressing to all parties her first care was not to any of the that george had put upon her in relation to though whatever her disposition in this respect the faithful would have prevented her the rules established she was determined however that should see her baby and she studied out the way to arrange this with the best results mrs welcomed the friend of her with her usual cordiality she avoided any direct allusion to her husband as long as she could do so but the peculiar arrangement of matters in the house made it impossible to wholly escape the subject you must take as many meals as possible with me she said and i also expect the greater part of your time will be spent in my company while you remain i hope you have come for a good long visit only a week or ten days was the reply you i never had a child know i have left my husband and at home ami when away from them ti n will go very slowly no matter what else there is to entertain me ah you ought to see now i would have brought her but your own child is so young that i feared all your available room would be taken up the ice was broken and mrs did not the issue my child she repeated with a rising perhaps you mean mr s oh the words came with a long drawn sigh how can a woman who has been through the experience of speak thus of her offspring there are fathers who refuse to admit their but to a mother there can be no such thing as doubt mrs hei statement i don t know what you have heard said she v but i repeat that i have no d it is along time since i have even had a husband the man whom i once called by that name proved to be cruel and cowardly whatever regard i had conceived for him could not survive this treatment i hear that he has a child i have never seen it nor do i wish to and now let us drop the subject for it is most distasteful to me thinking it wisest not to press the matter at that time mrs drew attempted to obey the request but whatever form the conversation took her husband and were forever getting into it her mind was too full of them to keep them out it was r who had said this and who had done that in spite of all she could do out op even though she ceased to speak of george and they came before her vision at such times and the situation was frequently very awkward i don t believe i can stand it much longer she said to on the third day i must have it out with her and if she takes it too hard i must leave sooner than i expected that s all you will have to leave her perhaps he smiled in return but you will not need on that account to cut short your visit with me my part of the house is amply sufficient for your there was a beautiful picture of little just before mrs drew s arrival a photograph done in water colors in the best style the portrait was of such excellence that the artist had made a copy on his own account and placed it in his window as a of the quality of work customers might expect on one of her walks mrs drew saw this and she resolved to show it to mrs the next time they were out together i am thinking of getting some photographs while i am here she remarked pausing at the window as they were strolling down they seem to do very good work in these places wait a minute aren t those colored ones lovely oh look at that beautiful child did you ever see such a

perfect little darling mrs looked at the picture and admitted that the subject was very pretty indeed unable to control herself a minute longer clasped her friend by the arm and told her the truth it is your own little baby for a moment the mother trembled under the i never had a child of her companion then she became granite again how can you be so foolish she asked i have no child the blood of mrs drew was in her veins her name is she whispered i never saw such a charming infant except my own look again and see how beautiful she is mrs gazed unmoved at the photograph i understand i think she said that is a picture of mr s child and he calls her i do not like the name but people suit themselves in such matters shall you sit to day if not we may as well be going the experiment as far as could be judged by the result visible was a total failure bit her lips and wiped a tear from her what a heartless woman had become she could hardly bear to continue the walk with her as soon as they arrived at the residence she left her companion and going to the room she occupied indulged in that luxury to the injured feminine soul a real good cry when george came she told him about it he shrugged his shoulders and said perhaps she would believe him now where most women have a heart she has a piece of flint he said the liquid that courses through her veins is not blood but she is in a certain sense a her does not require that she be closely confined so long a the objects of her special wrath are not brought under her notice but i honestly believe she would out of kill either or myself without if she could do so and escape detection spent a few hours each day during the remainder of her visit with the woman she now disliked so much merely for the sake of form the afternoon before she was to go mrs abruptly alluded of her own accord to the subject her friend had decided to avoid i feel she said that you think me wholly to blame in the matters that have me from the person who was once my husband i have no intention of arguing the case with you for we should come to no agreement i never speak to him and hope i shall not be obliged to so long as he continues to support me as well as he is now doing and to give me the same perfect liberty of action i shall not interfere with him or his the notion which he that his infant is in danger from me is absurd he might act a little more like a rational being and there would be less danger of the neighbors getting the impression that this is a private lunatic asylum george heard this and though he said he should not his vigilance in the least it had an effect that was perceptible by degrees during the year that followed much progress was made toward a less scandalous state of affairs one of the things that came to his ears was a statement of the nurse that mrs had been seen watching for minutes at a time from her window when the little one was in the yard taking her the gaze of the mother was reported to be calm and interested and not in the least one day took a step still farther in the l had a child direction of her critics she opened he window and spoke to is that mr s child she asked yes ma am replied the nurse she must be about a year and a half old seventeen months ma am she looks well very well indeed ma am she has always been a well baby another time some weeks later when had a fall and alarmed the neighborhood with loud cries the window went up again what is the matter asked its mother s voice baby fell and bruised herself a little it is nothing serious are you sure she has not broken a bone oh yes ma am she has only scraped a bit of skin off her forehead ceased her cries and that the lady was inquiring about her hurt looked up at the face and exhibited her calling attention to it with her fingers the lady bowed to show that she understood but presently arose shut the window again and went away a few months later mrs took a new idea into her head she came down in the absence of her husband and wandered through the rooms he occupied to the astonishment and somewhat to the consternation of the servants there who did not know whether they ought to permit the intrusion and yet felt no authority to prevent it whose charge was asleep at the time accompanied her master s wife at a respectful distance but mrs walked with her hands clasped behind her out of as if to show her pacific intentions when she came to one room the nurse said simply the baby is asleep in there ma am and the mother turned away like a child when told that a certain direction is forbidden i wish she wouldn t but i can t see how to help it was s comment when he heard of this you must keep your eyes on though mrs perhaps it was only a and she won t come again but she did come again and after awhile it became a daily habit of hers to descend to the lower part of the house during the afternoon when she was certain her husband would be out she talked with no one except mrs and only a very little with her if were awake she

the eyes of the men met the one nervous and excited the other quiet and determined much may be said without audible words dr told mr with that look that he must not make a scene there because it might disturb the of the child and that if he would retire to a more retired spot he would discuss the matter with him glanced with pain at the figures on the bed and by it mrs was too absorbed in her to know what was going on so near her and suspected nothing there was a moment of and then the father yielded he saw that the doctor was right that he could not utter a sound without danger of doing harm he lifted a finger to mrs who nodded to show that she understood and would watch over with the greatest care then he permitted dr to draw him slowly from the room into another some distance away don t speak yet said the doctor as soon as they were alone with the doors closed behind them hear what i have to say in the first place your child has passed the danger point and is now certain of recovery at this moment she is having a sweet and refreshing sleep she will recognize you when she the listener would have embraced the mother love bearer of this delightful news had he been allowed to do so his eyes filled with tears of pleasure now pursued the physician after a slight pause for the other matter as you know i have been for several years not only your medical adviser but that of your wife don t at the term he added quickly seeing that was about to interrupt him she is your wife before the law whatever your differences have been and she is the mother of the little girl there as i can swear has been very ill no one could say up to five hours ago that she would escape with her life her mother begged an opportunity to see her begged it on her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks do you think i am made of to refuse her i admit i did not intend you to know it i thought you would sleep till daylight when you came in and found her there i could not let you your daughter s recovery mr s face which had beamed with joy at the news of s condition was now thoroughly clouded i don t wish to you he said you were placed in an embarrassing situation but you cannot imagine what a jar goes through my nerves whenever i see that woman trying to mix herself in s life you know the history of her birth i need not repeat it her mother cast her off completely she not only would not look on her face but she threatened dr interrupted with an impatient gesture i have heard that often enough he said and it has now all the lack of charm of disagreeable out of ancient most of us have committed mistakes how long should a penitent woman be punished a sneer crossed the face of the husband who says she is penitent he asked she has never spoken a word or written a line to me that showed it are you blind exclaimed the physician have you seen the way she haunted your rooms when you were absent till you forbade her to come have you listened to mrs story of the sad face at the window whenever the child has been taken into the yard have you watched the prostrate figure in the other room a moment ago and yet understood nothing a thousand letters could not tell as much as one glance at the form by that bedside it is her child that lies there a child that she loves as only a mother can if she came to you and begged your pardon with all the in the world would you grant it walked to a window and looked out the first signs of dawn were becoming visible a few lights could be seen in the houses to the rear of his own i don t want to seem like a brute he said presently turning abruptly to face his judge i had as tender a heart once as ever beat in a human bosom that woman s conduct drove all the softness away doctor i think not only of this child but of those others of which she robbed me my life is broken in twain because of her except for i would not care to live an hour i have tried to treat mrs with respect during the years last past i have provided for her according mother love v my means i shall continue to do so but and he paused to control his feelings she must keep away from me and from my child i cannot endure to see them together as they are now she made her choice which was to live a life if she has any honor left let her abide by that decision dr shook his head slowly i give you warning he said that she will consent to this no longer she knows she has a legal right to her child s society and that she can enforce her claims the husband fairly trembled with rage if she dares he began she will rest assured replied the physician as her medical adviser i shall recommend it why man nothing else will keep her from going to her grave within six months i did not want to say this to you but there is no help for it you will either consent that mrs shall have an opportunity to see her child daily or she will appeal to ihe law and compel you mr bit his lips and did not answer he was in a that did not admit of

speech just then think it over sensibly pursued the doctor him on the shoulder she does not ask for much only that shall not be hidden from her sight as she has been for the year past she wants her brought to her apartments a few hours each day kept in the charge of her nurse if you will now think it over it will be either consent on your part or a public scandal a hearing before a court and i tell you on my professional out of reputation no man sits on any bench in this state who will refuse to give her all she asks and more when the two men returned to the sick chamber the intruder had gone a fortnight later after the most intense mental struggle and an interview with a prominent lawyer who all that dr had said astonished mrs by telling her to take upstairs for a little while to let her see that part of the house she is not strong enough to stay out in the yard yet he said and the carriage rides seem to tire her anything will do for a change and she has never been above this floor don t stay too long and be sure you keep the most perfect watch over her we can t be too careful now that she is mrs smiled to herself but her employer did not notice it he took up a book and settled himself into a pretence of reading for he could not think of going out of the house on that first occasion of s visit to the apartments occupied by his wife shrewd woman as she was the nurse came back within an hour thinking it wisest not to his agony but it seemed a month to him when the child returned he took her in his arms as if she had been rescued from some terrible danger and he did not leave her the whole of the morning how it came about no one could ever tell exactly but the little girl drew her father and mother slowly but surely nearer together finally did not spring up in if her husband happened to enter at the street door when was visiting her and george would stop and pat his child on the head even if his wife was coming down the stairs mother love called her mother lady and used to a great deal about her while at table lady nice lady give me she would say producing some toy lady upstairs and he grew accustomed to it after a period when it cut him to the heart until at last he did not mind it near so much the great change came however when he moved to another residence in the quarter of the city mrs and dr arranged things between them without s suspecting their so that mrs s rooms were partly on the lower and partly on the second floor thus bringing her and her daughter together without the old formality of ascending to another story it took a long time to gain the next step for the knew that might spoil everything but at last the father mother and child would gather in the parlor after dinner although no word was directly exchanged and seats were taken the farthest possible from each other and later yet in some mysterious way nice lady was urged so hard by to dine with her that she consented and after that the strange family was always united though still very much divided at that meal mrs faithful to the end was the boundary line on these occasions she saw that both george and were waited upon and that had everything that was good for her mrs never spoke except to utter a yes or no the father and daughter the conversation or to put it even more accurately did nearly all the talking for which she proved fully competent out of but the worst was over so far as outward went and when drew came to see her friends on the occasion of s sixth birthday bringing her husband and she declared that she never would have believed so much could have been accomplished in the way of making those people behave decently to each other chapter xii forgiveness and death decently as far as the outside world can see is however far from the of a true marriage mrs drew could not end this visit without making a vigorous attempt to remedy the unfortunate condition of things she found and for which she had always felt a certain sense of blame her first approach to the subject was made with he had told her of the incident during s illness and explained that it was on account of dr s that the child was now allowed to be with considerable freedom in the company of her mother there was nothing however in his manner or tone that implied the least affection toward the woman who was by law his wife i am glad to see so much of an improvement said earnestly it leads me to hope for a still greater one in the future you see all you will ever see was the cold response forgiveness and death you would have been equally certain that the present conditions could never prevail smiled mrs drew i notice that now speaks to by the name of mother as she grows older she will wonder that her parents act unlike those of other girls shook his head is no common child said he she understands a great deal more than you give her credit for although she calls mrs mother she means nothing by it she cares quite as much for or as for her the listener shuddered oh why can t you forgive and forget all that is past she cried why can t you and begin life over again it is terrible the

way you are living with hate where there should be love distrust where there should be confidence you the father and mother of that dear child drew a long breath she had aroused all that was most earnest in his nature he replied with a tender smile you are too good for such a world as this there are times when it is one s duty to remember a renewal of the marriage relations between mrs and myself would be one of the most horrible things conceivable i know her so well that i never could respect her she has hated me so long that love is out of the question you and i do not differ as to what marriage is for should i take to my arms then a woman who would try to set the mark of upon her brow each time the almighty father put his seal of blessing on her worse shall i give into her keeping her education that pure young soul so out of liable to from false views of right and wrong we are separated by a boundless sea and thus we must remain but persisted if she would come to you and swear never to repeat the follies of the past if she were to ask your forgiveness and say that her views had changed would you her then to this he answered that the possibility was too remote to make it worth discussing and suddenly off into another subject refusing to be led back to the one she most wanted to talk about with mrs was no more successful the wife was much broken in health and spirit but she had no thought of her relations all she wanted was to see as much as possible of her child for whom she had developed a positive she asked mrs drew repeatedly if she believed cared for her and the visitor was obliged to something in the nature of a pious fraud in making her answers when they were together could not help noticing the anxious eyes with which watched every movement that made when the child turned toward mrs for any cause the weary face was with light when they spoke together a new animation came into the features and when left the room the cloud that settled down upon the mother was pitiful to behold don t you think you and george could reconcile your differences asked mrs drew one day no no was the quick reply never then you hate him still no i do not hate him now although he hates me do not speak of it i only want my child i s and death only want her love i only ask sometime before i die that she may put her arms around my neck in the same way she does around his it was pathetic to hear her low words and to see the eyes as she spoke likes you i am sure said mrs drew as one puts on a burn to lessen the pain yes was the sad reply but she feels a difference between me and him she has an instinct that tells her i do not deserve her love if i could live till she was a little older till she had more of the feeling of a woman more of the knowledge of what it means to be a mother she might be better able t understand mrs drew had not expected so much of a confession of fault as this it pained her exceedingly for she felt that this woman s punishment was than she had supposed you don t think do you continued the mother after a pause that he teaches her to dislike me he would not deliberately try to do that would he i am sure he does not replied e la then said mrs wistfully and with an air of patience under it may come in time during the next seven or eight years matters went on with very slight change though feeble in health mrs showed a wonderful vitality and kept about the house as before the husband and wife did not go anywhere in company and thus they added no one to their set of mutual acquaintances mrs found a new source of entertainment out of however when was nine or ten years of age she joined a church mr paid little attention to this episode and certainly cared nothing about it though it was brought to his attention in several disagreeable ways that the church members had taken up the cause of his wife against him after the manner of their kind he drew the line however when her came to visit him and give advice which he considered impertinent you will pardon me said the clergyman but sister is very dear to our congregation and we know it is the desire of her heart that her husband should be brought into the fold cannot i persuade you to accompany her next sunday mr looked the speaker over from head to foot next sunday he responded slowly i have an engagement to go driving the minister looked properly shocked you have a little daughter he said upon recovering who ought to be in one of our sunday school classes if you would send her she is too young to understand such matters said when she is old enough to judge i shall allow her to do as she chooses this shocked the minister even more than the remark which had preceded it i am sorry you hold those views he said with a modest cough of course i do not question your right to think as you please but i want to ask you if you would object in case her mother wished to take the child and death then s eyes flashed and he forgot his good nature i should object decidedly he retorted rising to leave the room i wish

you good day the conversation was held in his office and he left the clergyman standing there looking at the door that had closed behind his late companion the report of these scenes duly spread among the congregation of the church mrs attended drew forth a unanimous opinion that mr was a wretch some of the ladies remarked audibly that they wished he had them to deal with for awhile a committee self formed for the purpose called at the residence of mrs to with her it is a shame the way he treats you said one sweet creature who weighed about three hundred pounds if it were my case i would apply for a divorce yes would oh no you quite the matter protested mrs not at all exclaimed another lady who had reached the age of sixty and who might have tipped the scales in the at seventy five if i were you mrs i would take her to church in spite of him a man has no right to dictate what shall be done with a girl any way it was in the season of the year and the door that led from mrs s rooms into the was wide open heard every word from the parlor where she was sitting with a book in her hand and her young bosom swelled with indignation when the committee came downstairs she met them her eyes flashing defiance out of you need not come here again she cried if you want to say such things about my father f he knows better than you whether i ought to go anywhere or not you are mean cruel things to call him names and i shall tell him just as soon as he comes home the ladies drew their skirts closer around them what a forward child said the one really i never heard anything quite so impudent most ry declared another if she were mine i should her and put her to bed who in her brief life had never had such language addressed to her walked up to the latter speaker and put her face within five inches of hers would you she cried passionately perhaps you are not big enough at this unpleasant juncture arrived he stared from one o another of the women who filled his and then at his daughter almost hysterical with anger my darling he said what is the matter the child flew to his arms and her voice was full of sobs as she replied they said you were a a brute and that you had no right to say what should be done with me because i am a girl and that mother ought to take me to church in spite of you and when i told them they must not call you names they said i ought to be whipped turned and surveyed the group of women he controlled himself with difficulty all he did was to raise his arm and point to the death door not caring to the interview the committee filed out of it as fast as they were able when the last one had gone he closed the door somewhat loudly behind her then he touched a bell that stood on the table he said as the domestic of that name made her appearance i do not wish you to admit any of those people who have been here to day should they call again taking into the sitting room he questioned her closely about the entire affair and then bade her forget it as soon as possible from this time till was thirteen years of age there was little if any change in the arrangements of the household after that i became a frequent visitor and saw with my own eyes a great deal that was going on the first time i met mrs was at a dinner to which i was invited there was something very pathetic in her pale face her nearly white hair and her subdued she was like a criminal who is permitted for form s sake to dine at the table with others who have not their right to consideration within a few weeks however i became such an intimate friend of the family that i dropped in at all sorts of hours and began to see her alone mrs drew also came to stay a few weeks and i got well acquainted with her and won her confidence thus little by little those parts of my story that could not be obtained from were woven into the along with his recital i did not take sides with either and i do not intend to do so now dr used to talk with me a good deal when he found the post out of tion in which i stood and i have seldom met a more interesting man it was he who told me at a time when was about fifteen years of age that mrs would not live through the summer he had informed no one else and he me to say nothing there was little to be gained by hastening the knowledge of any of the family on this point a few days before mrs breathed her last she began to realize her situation when the doctor told her that she would not recover she neither said nor acted as if the news gave her pain she had but one thought she must forgive me before i die she said over and over she must forgive me doctor tell her what is going to happen she will not refuse when she understands it is her opportunity the physician promised to speak to the child at once and your husband he added is there anything you wish me to say to him she shook her head no no only all i ask is to have say she me dr prepared the young mind as well as he could for the

interview so keenly desired he told her that a very few days would before her mother would be beyond the sound of her voice and that she must do everything possible to soothe the troubled spirit before its flight but what does she wish asked the girl she wants you to forgive her replied the doctor solemnly forgiveness and death ill eyed him wistfully i never quite understood what she had done to me she answered slowly i have always known that something stood between her and my father but he has never told me what it was and i have hesitated to ask him if you would explain doctor it might help me the worthy man of medicine felt a go through all his nerves i would not go too deep into it if i were you he said your mother is dying sh wants to have you say that you forgive her all you need to answer is that you do the young girl s eyes gazed into those of her companion should one say she without even know ing the injury she asked yes he answered when the person who asks it is on her we cannot carry our into the next world no matter how deep the hurt did not know about this she wanted to understand the reason why her home had been such a strange one in its relations between father mother and child the next morning when she went up to mrs s room she felt that she stood at the threshold of a great secret i am going to die said the pale lips lam not as sorry for that as you so full of youth and health might think but before i go i must hear three little words from your lips just these three i forgive you the daughter did not answer for several seconds can t you say it asked the feeble voice out of mother said the child raising her eyes i don t know what you have done that requires to be forgiven the sick woman half raised herself on the pillow don t you she asked has he never told you no one has told me said if you mean father he has not said a word i asked dr yesterday and he would not tell me either what is it you did to me mother that has made all this sorrow and pain the invalid sank back in her place how could she tell this child in language such as she could comprehend it was a task for which she had not prepared herself ten long minutes went by during which there was no sound in the room and then with a sudden effort mrs put her hand on that of her daughter and began to speak rapidly when the almighty called you out of his infinite wisdom to come to this earth i tried to his will i knew that the bearing of a child meant suffering for a woman i was selfish and did not want to assume the care of an infant i was too content with ease to be willing to carry out my destiny to the obligations that go with the wedded bond i did what others have done what hundreds are still i fear doing made preparations to still the life in you before it came into the world by heaven s mercy i was prevented from carrying out my plan in the anger that followed i refused to look at you to give you a mother s care my husband and i were torn asunder by my conduct i came to my senses years after and conceived as strong a love as ever found rest in a mother s heart forgiveness and death but it was too late to undo what i had done since that day i have endured a punishment such as i never dreamed could befall a human being if death me from it then i shall welcome death but i cannot rest even in the grave unless i have your forgiveness speak only those words that i may rest in peace the young heart beat rapidly she understood every syllable that had been said to her bowing her head she whispered the words as directed and allowed her mother to press her pallid lips to her forehead then she arose and slowly left the chamber dr had come in and she met him at the foot of the stairs have you seen her he asked anxiously and when she nodded he looked the question he did not put into words yes i told her i forgave her i thought as you did that it was right to say so if it would make her last hours brighter the doctor stared at the young face drawn with new lines of grief and it was not he exclaimed you do not forgive her oh how could cried bursting into tears out of chapter xiii the risk is too great the rev mr was with mrs during her last hours as was also drew both of them had been sent for at her request and with the full consent of her neither after listening to the dying wishes of the invalid made any demand upon him for his presence in the he had feared in an uncomfortable mood that they would do so and had not been quite able to make up his mind what he should do if the call came a few hours before the end was asked to come in again and the lips that were so soon to be silent forever thanked her for the forgiveness she had pronounced on the previous day once more a kiss was pressed on her forehead softly and calmly i never saw a more placid death said the rev mr in his sing song way to when he to make arrangements about the funeral it shows how

little terror it has for one whose life has been in accordance with the divine may we all meet it with equal confidence he added evidently as a side thrust at the husband the dear departed requested me to conduct the services over her remains i would like to hear any suggestions you wish to make in reference to the matter mrs drew was sitting in the room with the the was too great gentlemen but was absent at the moment moved uneasily in his chair let me tell you then to begin with said he that your services must be very brief and simple there is to be no of family affairs either by allusion or you may read the burial service if you wish and have a hymn sung but that is all mr s eyes dilated he had supposed that at this stage he would be allowed to have his own way much as a does at an he had known many who in the presence of the and permitted a funeral that irritated them merely because they had not the nerve to dictate to the contrary before his astonishment permitted him to frame a reply spoke again another thing he said there will be no persons present except my own small circle of intimate friends and the servants of the house that body upstairs is not to be before the eyes of the public you will be allowed ten minutes to finish your and prayers and if there is the remotest reference to the husband the affair will be cut short i know the tricks you are capable of sir and i warn you i will have none of them mrs drew murmured george as if to remind him of the solemnity of the subject but he would not heed her i am not going to tell the story of my from that lady to you he went on looking straight at the clergyman i will say however that we have not been husband and wife except in out of name for sixteen years although there have been times when i held hard feelings toward her f believe upon my soul all is over now i simply desire to have none of those things which our circumstances would make ridiculous promise what i ask and i shall have nothing more to say mr replied that it would be a great disappointment to the members of his congregation who had a very high regard for sister and who had hoped the services would be held in his church he also had prepared a brief tribute to her womanly virtues and christian fortitude in the midst of her sufferings and it seemed to him i know i know interrupted i understand all that but you can t do it the only question is will you come here and perform the service i suggest or shall i send for another minister with several and the clergyman finally gave the requisite promise though sorely disappointed he had intended to give the husband some very neat before a large and audience on the day of the funeral he kept reasonably close to his agreement though one or two allusions to his hope that this occasion would prove a blessing to those still without the of religion on s nervous ears the conduct of was noticeable she sat by the side of her father listening to all that was said and watching all that was done with the quiet well bred air of a well trained girl of her age on the way to the she held one of his hands in hers but neither of them uttered a word the was too great shuddered a little as the were thrown on the coffin but there were no tears from either father or daughter though mrs drew and who come and mrs and the servants wept when the party returned to the house felt its that void which the dead always leave in the where they have been known she had grown older in the week that was past she could no longer be spoken of as a child of the household noticed it she gave directions and suggested things and assumed control of the premises as she had never done before and all the time she was thinking thinking thinking the only thing that was left in her conduct that reminded us of the little girl we had known was the love for her it was a wonder to see her after giving orders about the house that took breath away sit down to her work basket and on a new dress or a set of for one of her charges she took her hair that had hung in a and wound it in a knot at the back of her head she had her dresses let down several inches she looked and acted in everything but one three years older than she was but the found her the same careful mother that she had been when she first learned the use of needle and thread the neighbors children the very ones were also brought in as frequently if not more so than before the spectacle of a dozen of the mid gets on her nursery floor at once entertained in a fashion that delighted their young hearts was one that i saw many times during the next year in my calls at the house she never seemed so happy aa out of when surrounded with these one of them in her lap and the others in chorus about her feet one evening it was fully a year after mrs s funeral i happened to be spending an hour with my friends mrs drew was there and her husband and of course and was occupied with one of her children s parties in the manner above described as usual when she was present the young girl was the centre of attraction

then the thing we now call marriage will be looked back upon as an unaccountable custom of a age out of mrs rallied to the emergency without delay you your own position said she boldly the greatest fault you ever found with a woman was her to become a mother in the time you will not she be even less willing to assume that position listened intently i wondered what they could be thinking of to utter such in her presence but they seemed to say them not only in spite of her being there but for her special benefit women will be honest when that time comes said and honesty is the chief of all virtues it seems to me the that to day is simply horrible women and men enter into a marriage contract in which certain things are and others understood then one of them deliberately with malice as the say sets to work to deceive the other in a point of first importance in other words she and her partner as no one would think of doing in any other business that is the way to make the world honest is to give woman greater freedom take away the to falsehood and she will rise above the petty that she now i do not blame you for me i cannot defend myself for my conduct toward mrs except on the principle by which we meet a with any weapon that is convenient when i discovered her deception i felt insulted robbed outraged i acted as a man driven wild is liable to act woman make her free and such questions cannot arise it will be for her to say whether she will be a mother and no man can question her an artificial rule decision to day she enters into a contract which common honesty requires her to keep and a contract by two persons cannot be broken at the whim of one of them without danger of protest when the discovery is made then he turned abruptly to my consternation and put this inquiry to what do you think about it dear the girl raised her sweet eyes to her father i don t know as i can tell you exactly she said i am sure i am almost sure at least that never shall marry and yet you told us a little while ago exclaimed mrs drew that it was the hope of your life to have a child of your own yes said softly turning her slow gaze toward the speaker it was with one movement that we looked at surely he would protest with vigor when he heard this home assumption of the doctrine he had been advancing but he only the hair of the daughter who was dearer than life to him and smiled at her with the same affectionate gaze chapter xiv an artificial rule i do not want to make my story more than is absolutely necessary to show you the way in which the central idea of miss s life out of was formed and grew until it controlled her actions most of us are what our and have made us the thoughts that fill our brains have not come there at random they are the product of what we have seen and heard and read combined with our natural and inherited and inclinations under other circumstances this girl would never have entertained the dreams that now influenced her under still other but different ones she would have had them by the counsels of those set to be her teachers and in order to understand how she has come to her present in spite of the world and has even had the courage to act upon them you must know each step she took on that strange path had loved his child from her birth indeed as he himself said to me more than once from a time long to it as she grew to woman s estate this love deepened into adoration whatever did was right her conduct must not be questioned he would have fought the universe for her sake convinced that a of opinion was worthless if it opposed hers in return she gave him the fullest confidence and veneration they talked together more like brother and sister husband and wife if you will than father and daughter he had never drawn any line that she feared to pass she asked him every question that came into her head as freely as if he were her mother and physician combined when reached the age of eighteen she began a study of medicine she seized upon its revelations with the of a young dr asked her if aw artificial she intended to practice and try to take his away from him he was astonished at the things she learned in an brief space of time she devoured the text books as if they were and clung to volumes of lectures with all the delight usually shown for a romance at the end of a year she triumphantly announced to the good physician that she knew as much as he in relation to one of the greatest problems of life and yet she added thoughtfully i know no more than every woman ought to know i have only got acquainted with myself how do so many dare enter a state of with their eyes blinded by total ignorance always you must not get false ideas my child said dr while there are women too ignorant there is also such a thing as being too wise in what way she asked eagerly you know a great deal doctor and i want you to be frank if you think i am making a mistake well to be plain he replied our great knew almost nothing about these things and yet they got along very well nature is worth on a little she has done pretty fairly take it altogether

during the last fifty or sixty thousand years it is bad policy for a man in my profession to say this for cases put a pretty penny in our pockets but when a girl like you asks for the truth you should have it another thing mist while we are on this subject there is no outside of that can be in a civilized country none that will not bring to out of its possessor a terrible load of and suffering he told me afterward that he was driven to this direct statement by the suggestions that had been dropped from time to time in his presence he had been medical adviser to this family for nearly twenty years and had seen some pretty hard moments there he did not mean to be in a duty as plain as this one just for the sake of choosing delicate language or special occasions miss s eyes brightened as she listened to him she was very glad the subject had been introduced wise men have been mistaken before now she answered deliberately tell me one thing before we go any farther is the rule of which you speak a natural or an artificial one he smiled at the vein that he could discern artificial decidedly he responded so is everything in our lives for that matter you live in a house while a savage a hut you eat with a knife and fork he with his fingers you wear clothes even it the part of the summer he with them when they do not suit his fancy we can t run against the of society my dear girl any more than we can against the law of without getting hurt but in reference to this matter even the lowest savages have some form of marriage the taking in a public manner of wife and husband look the entire world over you will find it everywhere the young lady nodded yes i have learned all that she said la artificial rule southern the has to pay a certain number of cows for his bride while in parts of europe he father to give the cows to induce the lover to take her away women are captured by bought in the market by soft words frightened by the fear of being old maids by love of finery persuaded by the lack of other means to find bread but doctor let us consider my special case not the subject in the abstract i am rich and independent i have one that fills my waking and my sleeping hours it is to have a child of my own now merely because it is the custom must i go through a ceremony that will bind me to some man i do not love as long as we both shall live the doctor regarded her with quiet gravity he saw that she was wholly in earnest in her strange proposition wait a minute said he you are young eighteen i think who can tell that your hero will not come to you within a few years the man with whom you will be glad and proud to take your place as long as you remain on the earth there is no such man said positively the only man i shall care for is my father and if i liked one ever so much the demands of matrimony would make me hate him in a very short time to know that i was tied to him that i had got to love him would take away any affection i might have developed besides when the baby came i could think of nothing but the child its father would be so neglected that he would have a right to complain and then would come quarrels a divorce how much better to out of avoid all this by one little of what you call society and making a law to suit my particular emergency how pure and sweet she looked as she thus threw down the to all the human race no passion but that of filled her young soul dr knew that a low or unworthy thought could not enter that mind had become a very handsome woman by this time as she is still her body was well made and of medium height her limbs slender but round her hair dark and back in a roll from her broad forehead her eyes large and intelligent her mouth sensitive her lips neither too thin nor too full i can only answer you he replied after a pause as i have done already the notion you are is simply preposterous you will see it yourself if you give the matter thought enough and here is something that will show you at one glance how ridiculous the idea is you would want for your child s father would you not a man of good principles one whose mental and physical would be worth how in the name of heaven could such a man be found to join in a wicked and foolish against the laws of an intelligent community miss bowed as he finished in that last thought she replied you have struck the only rock which i have seen in my course it has occurred to me exactly as you have suggested it but there may be cases that prove an exception to the rule i can imagine a man good enough to be my child s father and noble enough to appreciate the sentiments that thrill me i can conceive of such artificial bulk a one all claim to me whenever i should request it as men do other high and honorable acts because it was his duty doctor she continued leaning toward him and speaking in a low voice i have a greater hope than the satisfying of this devouring anxiety to own a child i want to prove to other women in a like situation that matrimony is

not essential mothers have met with the world s scorn hitherto because they have become so through all that was best and in their natures i wish to show the world such a mother only by her highest that it may note the difference you cannot claim that the two kinds of women would stand on the same plane dr was growing every moment he did not intend by the least to give the impression that he thought she had the right of her argument in the remotest degree what a child you are he exclaimed if you had mingled a little more with your sex you would know that they are poor they have been taught from their and from the of their remotest civilized that a child born out of curses itself and its mother the world would have no faith in your purity merely because you claimed to possess it you would be by all the women you would care to know and avoided by the rest of mankind one of the of living in comfort is to maintain a good reputation destroy it by such a silly plan as you are carrying in that head of yours and life will prove too short to regain it if this goes on i shall have to talk with your father out of this threat if meant for one only to the girl s thoughtful countenance we have discussed it a hundred times she said and lie cried the doctor well was the slow answer i don t think he does entirely but he faith in me he wants me to follow my if else said i was in the wrong he would stand by me that is the kind of father to have dr stamped his foot on the carpet the kind of father to have he corrected is one that would drive such nonsense out of your head as soon as he detected it there he would know you were laying the foundation of a life of misery could it be worse than the one he led asked the girl quickly he was married for many years to a woman whom he thoroughly and disliked under the system in which you believe she might have borne him half a dozen children while nothing of the hatred that filled her in that way becomes not only an accident but a sad and unfortunate one the medical man in his chair and tapped the table repeatedly with a ruler that he had picked up you are two or three centuries ahead of your time said he when the reign of all that is good comes in and woman has her own pocket book the world over i have no doubt some will adopt your scheme but you cannot enter into this sort of thing alone why you couldn t put on the costume of an and walk down without a crowd of we have to pretty nearly to the step of the procession ah artificial rule marriage has its i admit so does travelling by rail i had a friend smashed up in a train a month ago but if i want to go to san i sha n t walk keep in the ranks little one all the men are not as black as your fancy them i will undertake to find you a nice respectable gentlemanly sort of a man if you will give me a commission to that end who will treat you like a precious jewel of a wife as you deserve to be you shall have your husband and your baby yes a dozen babies if you choose and all the which are more important than you seem to think will still be observed refused to be convinced she had learned from infancy to marriage to her it meant a husband in one part of the house and a discontented wife in another she had seen unhappy families besides the one of which she formed a part the really ones that she knew could be counted much more quickly but the children the little that kept these homes from utter darkness they were all lovely all beautiful in her eyes a child of her own she for it as the traveller on a long voyage pines for the shore she it as the weary the shelter that is at his journey s end she gazed with swim eyes on each young she saw and murmured oh if it were only mine though without much religious training she used to pray to the good god above that he would send her the desire of her heart in her phrase she told him of the care she would give it out of of tne pains she would take to teach it what was pure and right dr talked with mr and mrs drew about this strange as he called it and they tried as well as he to bring mr to make a decided stand all in vain he said should be her own judge in everything all that he had was hers he would not attempt to influence her when her mind and conscience were set in any given direction there was serious talk of calling in a commission in to decide whether the father was not insane but a sudden attack of illness turned all our thoughts in another direction one day when both the and dr were present at dinner as well as myself was attacked with partial though he recovered enough in a few days to attend to his business affairs the physician told us that he could not rely on a much longer lease of life i want the truth doctor said the patient i am not one of those to whom you need fear being perfectly frank and he got it he might live six months at the outside he might have another attack within a week that would render

him incapable of motion i never expect to witness anything more perfect in its way than the closing days of george s earthly existence he brought to bear the calm philosophy of one who counts death a mere episode in the career of mankind one neither to be sought nor avoided by undue means his business affairs were in such a condition owing to his habits of order that but little time was required to an artificial d dispose of them he to his attorney the person whom he would select as manager and several plans for increasing the of his product that he had hitherto kept to himself his will made provision for several to faithful gave to drew in recognition of the long friendship he had entertained for her parents and the rest without to his daughter mr the attorney and myself were to be and these matters arranged devoted the balance of his time almost altogether to he met us at table for the board still held the little circle of friends that had become so deeply attached to him and for an hour after dinner we always sat in the parlor together the rest of the time he gave to her who was dearest to him it is a strange sensation to sit day after day with one whose physician has told him that any moment may see his vital powers one who may at a second s warning drop his head upon his breast and utter his last gasp but of us all so far as appearances showed the one who bore the ordeal the best was the self poised daughter of our host she told me afterward that her father had directed her to act precisely as usual and thus give him the strength he needed to face the parting each day was arranged much as it would have been had he been merely taking a business they rode out together read the papers and magazines even went to theatres occasionally i have heard their joint laughter coming from the next room over out of some made by one or the other and a chill has run down my column each time i ascended the front steps i looked to see if the s ornamented the handle of the door each morning i my paper to see if among the news there was an account of the sudden of george the wealthy but it was quite four months after the first shock before the second one mrs drew was a religious woman though as some one has remarked of a similar case not so she did her best to persuade to accept the offices of a minister of the church without exceeding the bounds of good taste thanking her for her kindness he refused to accept her advice saying that his views would not permit him to do so your views she repeated what are your views don t you believe in another life after this one i don t know he replied good but i mean to find out unless dr is mistaken i shall learn more about these matters in a few weeks than any of these gentlemen who would be so willing to instruct me can tell i am not impatient i can wait she was dissatisfied but was unwilling to annoy him it is surely well to repent of our sins she murmured and i have repented of mine he answered their punishment already has been very heavy if more is still due i will accept it an artificial rule t i never yet asked a to take less than a hundred cents on the dollar when the inevitable hour came passed seemingly without the least sensation of pain he was talking with in his library and in the midst of a sentence he stopped she summoned assistance and dr was sent for but the heart had ceased to beat before he arrived the daughter wept it is true but with a calmness that surprised her friends in spite of what they had already witnessed she answered all questions with fortitude and made preparations for the saying she knew exactly what her father desired and would not depart from it in the slightest degree it was not a funeral at all judged by the usual standard the dead body lay during one in the library where he had died open to the gaze of any of his acquaintances who cared to come hundreds of people from the establishment of which he had been the head from the various concerns that had dealt with him and from the public at large passed into that room stood for a moment by the and then went their ways at one o clock the more intimate friends bade good bye to the form they had loved the daughter last five or six carriages followed the to its burial place in here the entire town seemed to have turned out but all they saw was the lowering of the coffin into its grave without a prayer or a hymn the next sunday several took this matter as a text for their sermons calling the attention of their to the heathen like and thanking god that such events were out of rare indeed in this part of the world no matter how little men professed to believe in the gospel while they were living they generally appealed to its ministers when the dread angel of death had spread its wings over them so said the of many churches but not those of in that town they realized the temper of the people too and maintained a discreet silence chapter xv professional services one of the first things that did after the funeral was to persuade the to make their home again with her she had formed a deep attachment for all of them and especially for who was now a fine girl about twenty years of

age mrs drew bearing in mind some of the peculiar theories that was known to hold hesitated a little about throwing her daughter into the company of that young woman but the consideration that she herself would always be at hand to any possible injurious effect turned the scale and a very short time after the new arrangement was made an affair connected with her daughter made all her care necessary in another direction fell in love now there is nothing remarkable in a pretty girl of twenty falling in love mrs drew had supposed professional services that such an event would happen in the course of time with her daughter as well as others but she did not quite fancy the young man for whom had gone through that process in this it is only fair to state she did not differ from many other mothers the fond parent is apt to believe that there are few men fitted to mate with the treasure they have been at such pains to prepare for him young mr seemed however in the anxious eyes of this mother to lack completely the qualities which are essential to success in this world to have much less than is necessary of enterprise and push although twenty five years of age he still lived at his father s and apparently had no expectations other than those which would come to him from that source he was a nice appearing fellow with his clothes and hair well brushed and his shoes always polished he made a very good sort of lover without doubt but would he shine equally well as a husband mrs drew had grave doubts on this score and used to talk for hours to her husband about it drew listened to all that was said and in his wife s conclusions he had never done anything else since he had known her he did not suggest a way out of her difficulty however and she did not expect that he would loved the young man with all her heart and it looked more dangerous to put the parental foot down and declare that she must give him up than to risk the other horn of the so it was settled that they were to be married and the happiness on the faces of of the engaged couple in a measure the tears that filled the eyes of their elders i hope they ll be happy said to when she imparted to her that the event had been decided upon say that you think they will she added it will break my heart if makes a mistake miss shook her head with a serious mien i don t believe in it at all she said i think the time for that sort of thing has passed mrs drew s brow was covered with wrinkles oh what do you mean she cried would you have every pretty girl grow into an old maid that answered slowly i would leave to herself to decide the matron recognized the hated theory she so much detested and raised both her hands in protest we must never talk of such things she said i would rather see in her grave than no no she will marry and i hope i hope so dearly she will be happy as happy as and i have been mr is young and we must not judge him too severely the love of a good woman has done for a man before now took up a magazine she had laid down and said gently very well mrs drew in her chair by no means content to let the conversation end in this abrupt manner you have heard surely of cases of that kind she asked women have even the most hardened husbands many times yes said seeing that she was expected professional services to answer that is true it is also true mrs drew that many husbands have dragged the best of wives through experiences that one to contemplate i know women and so do you who would be a thousand times happier if they had remained single i tell you marriage has become a in which the great are so few that they attract the world s attention you think the chance of getting a good husband is worse now than formerly said mrs drew it is growing worse every day was the calm reply and the reason is that woman having become more intelligent suffers under the ous condition which marriage brings to her in spite of all the talk one hears the wife is still the property of her lord she must submit to him or make him submit to her in the latter case she will have an apology for a husband that will only earn her the derision of the rest of her sex there are marriages where the are still happy but for every one of those there are a hundred where all that is best in both of them is trampled in the mire mrs drew uttered a helpless little sigh how do you account for the change that is going on she asked by the fact that marriage is in a period have you ever watched the of a city neighborhood first there is a street of good plain ordinary houses then business in here and there the better class of begin to move away a set takes their places and finally the whole thing is torn down an great out of modern blocks are erected the institution of marriage has reached the state the next era will bring us something better the elder lady clasped her hands together if you think such things you ought not to say them she replied i would not have hear you for anything have no fear was the quiet reply knowing your prejudices i have refrained from putting any extra sense into the head of that young daughter of

yours if she comes to me to be congratulated on her engagement i shall do the best i can to conceal my apprehensions tears filled the mother s eyes you hope for the best i am sure she said in a low voice with all my heart said rising and going over to kiss her the wedding took place with considerable formality as that was the wish of the bride who had many friends who desired to witness the of her bark on what most young people believe a lake where storms are unknown their mistake is often as great as that of the who applied the term pacific to one of the most of seas the presents were numerous and costly and included some very handsome ones from miss who had a deep affection for the girl the happy couple departed on a tour of thirty days and at the end of that time went to live at the residence of mr but a few weeks passed before mrs drew came to with a long face to tell her that the services prospect of already afflicted her daughter miss stared at the lady as if she could not comprehend her expressions to be a mother she exclaimed how happy she ought to be i but she is not was the quick reply just think how young she is and how short a time she has been married i went over there this morning and found her weeping as if her heart would burst miss s eyes opened wider than before you had a child when you were no older than she yes admitted mrs drew but things are different now it is the modern custom to wait awhile to give the wife an opportunity to enjoy life before dragging her down with the care of an infant why it will make an old woman of at once she can t go anywhere for the next two or three years i consider it a downright misfortune it is at least an incident to be expected said thoughtfully i don t see that she has a right to complain this is what your dearly loved institution of marriage brings mrs drew mothers learn to dislike their offspring before they can see their little faces i tell you it is horrible i would go down to the grand central station and throw myself under the first train before i would give any man the rights over me that the marriage mrs drew could only murmur oh out of i would repeated the girl throwing back her head why did marry if the prospect ot causes her such grief she could have kept up her engagement and enjoyed the society amusements of which she now so deeply the loss if she wanted to entertain herself for the next three or four years with the pleasures offered by fashion why did she not leave herself free to in them i have no patience with such folly no mrs drew i must speak my mind common sense seems to have deserted this part of the universe you say is grieved because being married she is to have a child how does she know she will not have twenty every tear she sheds is a testimony that i am right in the entire edifice of matrimony as for the intelligent women of the last half of the nineteenth century quite carried away with her feelings miss swept from the room but the next time she met mrs drew she went up to her and put her arms around her neck and within a few days she called on and brought her some lovely lace for the garments she had already begun to young mr evidently considered that he had now done about all that should be expected of him for his present income he intended to rely on the that his wife possessed believed that she only did the right thing when she put the whole of her small fortune into his hands and allowed him to invest it in a very neat business of which he knew nothing except that it would not soil his clothes and it took him an short l services time to lose it all with the help of a few in the stock market he had it appeared gone a little beyond the bounds of honesty in these transactions and used other people s names without consulting them and the result was that about a month before his wife expected to add to his joys and cares he executed a sudden flight for parts unknown and did not take the formality of leaving his address with anyone while no careful could make out that the desertion of mr was of any particular loss to her money already gone beyond repair she had the bad taste to get herself into a violent illness over it bringing on distressing as the family were not very cordial to her now she accepted the hospitality of her mother and miss and went to the latter s home then it was that laid aside for the her theories and her r at the world in general and men in especial no sister could have given more affectionate care than she gave to the deserted wife she comforted her by repeated assurances that would certainly return she inserted in a herald personal an announcement to the effect that if h b would communicate with mr attorney at law park place he would hear of something to his advantage she also visited the indignant of young and secured a writing that would relieve him from all danger of at the expense to her pocket of a good deal of money with the new hope that these things would give to counted on bringing her through op all right dr said they ought to have the best effect he agreed with that would be better in a jail

than by the side of the young woman he had proved so ill fitted to care for they only thought however of what was best for the wife if they could get him there before the trial hour they wanted to do it but scared terribly by what he had done was in the far west hiding in a where he as a to the great loss of whiteness of his pretty hands and knew nothing of the kindly efforts made in his behalf all the kindness that was upon the young wife all the skill of the most competent physician failed to keep her from into such a state that her life was for some days in mortal peril affected by its mother s condition no doubt the child breathed but a few hours it was just as well mrs drew said in a way that made shudder would be better off without it the way matters had gone had she not felt that the cup of this woman was already full would have expressed her sentiments on this observation in a decidedly sharp fashion miss had observed the weak condition of the infant from the first and had refused to believe with dr that life could not be kept in it she sent with his consent for two other eminent and begged them if there was any virtue in medicine to save the child when they added their opinion to his she fell on her knees by the nurse who held the baby w her and went tears services so little so sweet so innocent why should it touch this earthly shore so brief a time if it were not to be permitted to remain with its last breath grew so ill that the attention of the doctors had to be turned to her this girl who had borne the loss of a father with an that astounded us all mourned for another s child with all the of an own mother was able to be about before her friend for lay more than a month on her sick bed ah the little thing the pretty little thing she moaned day and night during the first week when she recovered her spirits were so low that dr approved of her suggestion to take a foreign journey nothing had been heard of mr and was taking steps to sue for a divorce the including their daughter were to stay at the residence and was to travel with a hired companion miss was gone nearly two years during which time she saw a great deal that was interesting and instructive and one day dr received a letter to this effect i expect to reach new york on the about i shall require your professional services in the neighborhood of yours very truly the physician read this letter over and over again rubbing his spectacles and his eyes alternately she can t mean what nonsense f he exclaimed a out of hundred she wouldn t be such a fool with her fortune and everything in the world to look forward to but i don t know her father was a mule and she takes after him professional fiddle sticks confound her she s given me a regular i chapter xvi too lovely for anything when mrs drew received word that miss was coming home coupled with an announcement much than the one which had been sent to the physician she was thrown into a state of consternation it is simply dreadful she said to her husband when she had read him the letter i don t know how we can stay here her conduct will compromise all of us even if you and i could endure it think of its effect on a young woman like her mind is still in a condition and who can say what dangers might not come from such an example assented as he always did though he may have entertained doubts whether a woman who too lovely anything had been a wife and mother and was now a widow should be considered in the light of a was in a serious she loved dearly both for her own sake and for that of her father she could not forget the kindness shown to when deserted by her natural protector miss had taken the financial troubles of mrs upon herself and had instructed her agents to honor all calls she made upon them under this state of things it seemed peculiarly ungrateful to desert when she was in most need of her services i don t see how i can stay here said mrs drew to her husband and i don t see how i can leave she has no other female friend nearly as close as i have been she writes me as if there would be no question about it how can i refuse to with her wishes answered that he did not see how she could but won t it look as if i her his wife won t people get the idea that we are all filled with these ideas a woman has to be so careful of her reputation that is true said whose sympathies were largely on the side of miss for whom he entertained a warm admiration but the mischief is done and you can t help it show yourself a good friend to her and it may have an effect on her future mrs drew uttered an exclamation her future she will have no future the world never an affair of that kind out of and she won t even ask to be forgiven she will come home as proud as if she had done something to her credit she has warmed these theories in her breast ever since she was a child oh it is enough to drive me crazy put on the proper look of sympathetic interest for when his wife talked in this way he

believed something serious was the matter and that is the worst of it after all pursued how can i explain it to her what can i say to defend the dear girl has always had such a high opinion of her and has done her a thousand that she cannot forget if you and i stay here will have to go somewhere one can t be too careful when the eternal happiness of a daughter is at stake accordingly mistress was packed off to where she had many friends and the other with dr and myself as prepared to receive the coming guest or rather the real owner of the premises it occurs to me now that our attitude was something like that assumed by a regiment a cavalry charge or a ship s crew ordered to we were a gloomy set of people without doubt and walked about the house on as if afraid to make the slightest noise i should think there was a funeral going on here said the physician one day it s worse than that replied mrs drew with a sigh there are some things more terrible than death doctor dr wore a look of as be beard her too lovely foe anything i think you put it a little strong said but i understand the way you view it while society is made up the way it is now death is at least one of the most respectable things a person can have happen to him i hope however that we shall not meet with quite so an aspect as we have been wearing to each other she is like other women i suppose and wants to see a little sunshine when she steps foot after so long a time on the soil of her native country an attempt at greater cheerfulness was then made by us all but on the whole it was a dismal failure who is going to the steamer to meet her i asked suddenly thinking that this matter was one that required settling mr drew mildly offered to go if that was agreeable but his wife put in a very decided objection i could not think of letting you do anything of the kind dr finally volunteered and this met the approval of all parties he greeted his patient on the deck of the boat at the wharf and she grasped his hand with a pressure that showed the most perfect health was looking older than when she went away but not more than the two extra years would warrant her cheeks red with the salt breeze and her eyes were as bright as diamonds my dear dear doctor she exclaimed regardless of the listening ears that were about them you don t know how glad i am to see you and dear america again you haven t changed a not a white hair more or less it was so sweet of you to come to meet me my baggage is all ready to be out of and here has everything in her charge within half an hour we shall be ready to drive to the house when they were being taken through the familiar streets toward her home miss broke out into many expressions of rapture europe is nice she said but there s nothing after all like one s ain tell me all the news how is and dear old and poor little ah i have pitied that child so often with all her troubles her young life wrecked by her marriage she s got the divorce hasn t she well that s one comfort but a divorce is like getting cured of the small the marks remain i am so anxious to see her i suppose they are all at the house prepared to give me a royal welcome dr told me he never was so upset in life as he was at the manner of miss on this occasion her spirits were at their very highest she had never looked so truly lovely and she seemed to expect that would be as delighted as she he had to tell her that mrs was out of town but he concealed the reason of her departure run in to morrow if you can said to him as they her home i have a great deal to tell you to day i suppose will claim all of my time i am impatient to see the dear woman i think we had some sort of an idea of standing in a row in the front hall and in chorus an of welcome but luckily we thought better of it the final arrangement was that mrs drew would meet miss and that and i would drop in a little later when the strangeness of the sit too lovely for anything nation had in a measure worn off but dr robert son after bringing his charge and her maid into the house left them with and came out to advise us to keep out of the way for the present he intimated that it would take more than ten minutes for the women to get upon a common footing and that they had best be given all the time they wanted the meeting between the old friends was joyful on the part of one and dignified on the part of the other miss was so occupied however in the premises and running her eyes over the furniture and walls that at first she noticed nothing to arouse her suspicion she was shown to her rooms neat as a pin as everything must be that had passed under the eye of the model housekeeper was disposed of as quickly as possible and the moment she found her self really alone with mrs drew opened her arms to their fullest capacity and stretched herself as if she would take all america in her embrace at once why don t you congratulate me she

cried the two women must have made an interesting contrast the younger all radiance almost too happy to breathe the other with her cheeks from a far different cause please murmured mrs drew please we must not talk about it we never could agree never if we are not to quarrel we must avoid that subject miss laughed very well she said it shall be as you say but tell me all about your family they arc both well of course mr drew and out of the sound of her daughter s name spoken so familiarly by those lips struck upon the ears of the mother they are quite well she said but don t think me unreasonable let us not speak of them either it it really gives me pain the face of miss showed the most intense sympathy you have had some trouble poor darling she murmured no no there has been no trouble none at all it is not that oh i can t explain we talked about it and i a long time and we agreed that ought to stay here but miss stared at the speaker you were in doubt she asked at first i there is to think of you know there was a long pause and a sigh from you thought perhaps she said that your stay here might injure her i am very sorry i will not keep you no not for the world good bye and is it forever the lady burst into tears don t send me away she sobbed i couldn t forgive myself if i went now don t tell me to go miss quickly withdrew her proposition and the conversation turned upon other matters enough had been said to show the situation of affairs she carefully avoided after that upon disagreeable ground in her talks with mrs drew i met her several times at dinner and no one would have suspected from what was said too lovely anything that a very large skeleton lay hid and grinning in the closet behind the door dr had to go through a somewhat similar experience before he and his patient had been in the same city for a week with his blunt manner he himself into the middle of the subject with one of his first questions why in the name of goodness he demanded didn t you stay abroad a few months longer then you could have pretended that your child was an adopted one and nobody could have disputed you whatever they might have thought my dear doctor replied with her most winning smile how persistently you my motives i have nothing to conceal no wife since the creation was ever happier to become a mother i know i am doing an unusual thing but from my own i am right all the to the contrary notwithstanding the physician silently as he listened a all right he snapped let that go there are several things that i wonder if you have thought of i suppose you know your child will not be entitled to receive a penny of your property if you die and women do die under such circumstances he added with a strong touch of but am not going to responded brightly i assure you of that to begin with there is no law to prevent my making a will and leaving my property to whom i please is there no but there ought to be growled the physician half audibly i want to ask you a question he added raising his voice who is your child s out of miss s eyes fell before those of her i for an instant she seemed to lose her but she did not speak i hardly expected you would tell me said the doctor i asked out of no mere curiosity i only thought you might like in case of accident to have the infant know its father s name not a syllable came from the girl s lips which were now tightly compressed together tears filled her eyes you must admit continued the physician that there is a possibility that you will not arise from the illness you are about to undergo in your case the chances are a hundred to one in your bu no one can these results with certainty he waited for her reply but she shook head i have nothing to tell you she said he bowed let me suggest then that you place an envelope containing the facts in the hands of some person to be in case in case it should be necessary looked at her companion earnestly my child could have no use for that information she replied perhaps i ought to say that the father is dead used as he was to everything the old physician plainly showed the shock he felt upon hearing this statement but the child will want a name he remarked desperately if it is a boy i wish it called if a girl too lovely for anything and the will be mine of course he knew he might as well try to change the direction of the wind as to turn her from her purpose and he abruptly ended the conversation the next day the lawyer who attended to the business was sent for and given instructions about the drawing of a will which was duly signed soon after toward the last lost a little of her courage and began to that she would not survive her trial i am not afraid of death she said to mrs drew i know you do not think me such a coward but all my soul is on my baby no one can care for a child like its mother ii will be so little and helpless it will want so many things when it cries no one else will understand oh at least i want to live long enough to its limbs to look for one

but that would only make him more notorious which would probably please him too well i do not understand why the question of is of the slightest importance to any human being there is a country in asia where all the children take the name of their mothers and where it is considered the height of to hint at their paternal under the european rule the mother has hardly been worth discussing at all until recently she had very few legal rights in her own offspring though she ninety nine per cent to its life if i had a husband it would be within the power of a judge in this state to take my child and it perpetually to his care they might as well claim the right to cut out my heart as she was speaking the nurse brought master into the room no truthful man could say out op no when asked by the happy young mother if he had ever seen a prettier child he was darker than his mamma though she was a his hair had now grown abundantly and was inclined to curl his eyes were nearly black like hers come to your mother she said holding out her arms the boy was quick to hear the maternal voice and joyfully into her embrace when he had in her lap they made the prettiest picture i ever saw either on or off canvas had wholly recovered her health and the roses played with her as she pressed the infant to her full round bosom she said with mock gravity holding him away from her take your thumb out of your mouth and look at this gentleman do you realize that he has it in his power to make you a by running away with all your money to canada or or some of those terrible places how would it suit you to have your poor mamma drag you about the street in a hand cart while she sold or needles and thread to sympathetic i could not help thinking of the presented before my eyes for such it always was thanks perhaps to my imperfect education at least that is what miss would have called it why did not something be it ever so little tell of this girl s lowered standard of her taste there was absolutely nothing her countenance was as pure as it was fair she was by the that can make even a plain face beautiful it was evident that she was as unconscious of an amateur wrong as adam and eve when they strayed in that first twilight through the leafy groves of if like them she was naked like them she was not ashamed the story of this child would be an entertaining one i suggested you might let me write it out then when i had run away with your fortune you could make more money by selling it than with your pins and needles she not but from the very quality of her full veins i did not know you were a writer of fiction she answered neither am i but there must be enough in the history of this pretty boy without drawing on one s powers to make a most fascinating story she raised the child again from her lap and pressed her lips to his check tell me one thing she said suddenly looking me full in the face do you hold as bad an opinion of me as the rest of them do you really consider me lacking in what shall i call it respectability it was my own face that now i was afraid of it she said with an air of con and acting as if not the least offended this is the test if you had a sister you wouldn t wish her to associate with me there is mrs drew the most intimate friend i ever had among women frightened to death lest her daughter should meet a girl who has the stiff rules that have crushed her i have not one friend to day that deserves to be called such neither woman nor man of course you treat me politely and dr out of comes to dinner occasionally but neither of you would care to walk down the avenue with me i m very certain it is not surprising the world is tied together by such little threads that people fear to break a single one of them or rather to admit having done so you gone abroad about two years i remarked yes where did you spend most of your time excuse me she replied with a smile i never talk about that journey i have no desire to into your secrets i answered but i am thinking of crossing the ocean soon myself and i felt an interest in discussing the matter with one who had already been there she looked at me with a trace of suspicion which vanished instantly a good guide book is worth more to you than all i could say she laughed i did not know you were going though how long do you intend to remain i replied that that would depend on circumstances i felt the need of a change after having devoted myself so closely to business mr will attend to your interests i added with frequent with me through the mail of course she allowed me to kiss the baby remarking that i was one of a very small circle who was permitted that wonderful privilege and so i took my leave that evening after retiring to my bed the thought came over me as it had often done before an amateur i ought to make an effort to about the origin of master in the process of time it was very possible i would be in the position of a for him as i now was for his mother there are rights even t the

child that is and certainly to those too young and helpless to speak for themselves miss would not talk on this important theme every year that passed would make it harder to ascertain the truth the position that i occupied relieved me from the charge of but how could i hope to a mystery so carefully hidden from every eye if i could learn the route miss ha j travelled it would give me a to begin upon great things have been accomplished from suggestions a bit of colored such as pool table pockets are made of led to the fixing of a murder upon a man who collected from a factory by a scratch on a safe door s hero traces his guilty heroine it would amuse me if nothing else to assume the of an amateur and if after all i discovered nothing no harm would be done there was but one person in whom i could safely confide my plan mr my fellow but i believe a secret never yet was kept better by two persons than one and i said nothing even to him the only interview i had was with dr and that was conducted in such a way that the good man did not suspect my purpose he was a most delightful old gentleman who would have made an excellent subject for a story all by himself out of the talk that i had with occurred the next day after my visit to miss last referred to he was always pleased to the story as he knew it and i made him tell it to me again from the beginning he lay back in his office chair and talked of george and as if they had been his children but when he came to the latest development of the family s peculiarity he grew animated and took on a high color was there ever anything like it he exclaimed here is a young woman of ordinary sense in everything else with good looks with a fortune equipped in short to take any place she pleased in society and she throws it all away every chance to be anything or anybody on this ridiculous i lost all patience with her long ago there ll be trouble later when the boy grows up he ll tell her his opinion when he finds the inconvenience of being a the doctor growled as he omitted the disagreeable word of course you believe his father is dead i said yes has faults enough but she can t tell an when she doesn t wish to answer she simply her lips and no man is strong enough to compel her to open them i asked him incidentally if she had said much of her journey in the letters she wrote him from abroad nothing at all hardly he replied i did not have above ten letters altogether they are all here and he exhibited a in a rubber band taking it from a drawer in his desk you may look them over and welcome he tossed them to me and as i began to open a patient s call took the physician out of the amateur room it was very for i wanted to copy the dates without his attention i took up a pencil and and began writing nervously liverpool may london june paris this was the way they ran may a long interval and then and afterwards points in spain and the final letter announcing that she was coming home this was the path she had travelled it was something to go by and it would certainly have interested a man like mr not only the city and date were given but usually the hotel it was the letter dated at however that struck me particularly well you didn t find much there said dr when he returned she is a deep girl and knew enough to cover her tracks well it is a shame in a world made up like ours a boy is entitled to know who his father is not to have the least information about it leaves him in a of a state he can t tell whether he is the offspring of a gentleman or a robber one of these days will wake up to the mischief she s done i agreed with him in a mild way for it was my policy not to take strong ground with anyone who assumed to my ward too severely five weeks later i alighted from a steamer at and at the beautifully situated hotel de out of chapter xviii in and about the city of is certainly one of the places on the globe as seen from the it has few rivals in point of artificial attractions it is a veritable city set on a hill that cannot be hid both the old town or quarter and the new or french city are visible from the sea the prevailing almost the only exterior of the buildings is of pure white high above the water front a grand street is built on which rows of stately buildings face the mother country looking exactly as if they had been taken from the de and to these tropical shores long and easily ascended ways allow the wagon or foot passenger to reach this street from the landing the whole affair being a of architecture for a short distance to the rear of the hotels the ground is nearly level and in this section most of the shops the theatres and some most engaging small are found beyond these the hill rises gradually giving to the like the appearance of being built in and magnificent views of each the best of carriage roads constructed by french who have no rivals in that line wind gracefully to the summit of this elevation which is called the climate of has few equals and during in about a great part of the