, 1864-03-05

" If you recognize in me your tyrant, |
yield yod the right to believe the worst Of
ME" he replied in panied voice.
my dowry," she continued, pnhecding his
remark; j." might surely be deeped sufficient
to debqS ahy Slight .sxtrav9gahce Of mine .
Not by any implied word 9f rettte hint
did Hugh denote to her the source from
whence that bdusted dowry sprung.
~ married not your gold, Grace" he
said in voice Of emotion al coveted
only the treasure of youf loves" .......
"And yet you appear to set higher
value upon money than your wife's happi-
ness" she retorted with bitter levity.
"You shall never wrong me by such
words again" said Hugh, proudly. 81 set
no value on the dross but as the handmaid
to your behests." .....
That was the last time he raised his
voice to check the current Of his wife's pro-
digality. He daily approached tieafer to
the gulf Of ruin; still no tuthplaining word
passed his lips. Whatever the, bitterness
Of his soul, be kept It to himself, unshared
and sileht. There was one circumstance
that might have touched less vain, thrift
less nature than Mrs. Sherwoods, and that
wis lief husbands studied absence from the
gay assemblies over which she continued to
hold her stately sway. She merely scoffed
at the ,eapti9us spirit from whence she fat
tered herself it sprung, little dreaming that
those gay hours Of hers were passed by
Hugh in the unpretending but happy home
Of John Rudderforth. ,ts g.,r r.r...
D Amongst the thoughtless crowd Of her
acquaintance was Sir Eyerard D'Oyley,
once stiitgr for her hand, orf0rtune rather.
Beheath his sleek, polished and elegant ex-
terror beat heart Of selfish coldncss.a He
had been fellow student of Hugh Sher-
woods at the same college, but had spbse-
quently passed almost from his remembrance
until rumor reached Hugh, when he was
in Italy, that he was likely to find rival in
the aristocrat;c baronet.. But Hugh be-
lieyed he knew his cousins heart too well
to deem that il could harbor sympathy for
one who was alike incapable for good as he
was powerlesss for evil. The bankers sud
den death happily revealed to Sir Everard
D'Oyley a glimpse into the disastrous state
Of that gentleman's affairs, and nipped in
the bud his professed devotion for the
charming Grace. But when she became
Hugh Sherwood's wife and the centre Of
fashion, he once more aspired to bask in
the sunny atmosphere Of her beauty. His
frothy eloquence flattered her vanity the
base coin Of his adulation was welcomed by
her with graceful smiles; she knew not,
dreamed not, what shameless counterfeit
it was, nor the dishonorable exchange he
sought to barter for it. Insidiously and
stealthily as the spider weaves his subtle
web, he drew the soft silken share more
closely around the feet Of his unsuspectiBg
victim. He seized every occasion, however
slight, to entangle his incrtdnlolis dupe, and
Hugh's continued absence aided him well
in his crafty plaiis. eaf main al.,s
The London season was drawing TO Q
close, and Mrs. Sherwood had lssiled cartls
for ball, which was to outvie in splendor
any that had preceded it. A few daysprior
to the event she had paid visit to her
jewellers, where her eyes were greeted with
the sight Of diamond necklace and brace
lets Of unique workmanship. The price
for the gems was high. Grace hcsitated,
perhaps for the first time, until suddenly
the ingenious device flashed across her
mind to exchange for them o set equally
superb and costly, that had formerly adorned
her bridal robes, and had been her hps-
bands wedding-gift. To do her justice, the
thought brought with i q pang Of remorse
but the tempting jewels silenesd il, They