Litchfield enquirer., 1866-11-15

always attacking and defeating the best of us oft ener than we do him; that the necessary self-den- as are far than one ever learns thoroughly to practice that, in short, any Christian who knows his own heart finds he has quite enough real war fare, without wasting his strength on parades and sham-fghts. The temperament and education of overthrow which now befel him. With an Italian nature, an artists love of the beautiful and wo- mans yearnng for affection, he had up to this time, been secluded from woman's society as sedulously as an Asiatic girl from the companionship of man. He was, moreover, a born orator and Mrs Gaunt his only fit nearer. He soon learned to preach to her exclusively; and his lovely enthusiastic listener, had filled large part of the vacuum which nature abhors in any human heart, before he knew her, long before he knew himself. Soon they became intimate and the natural results are traced by MT Reade with consummate, we had almost said with devilish skill Griffith was as fond and as affec- tionate as a husband could be, but he was no lon ger in a fervor of passion, and he had never been any intellectual companion for his wife. Thorough ly as Kate appreciated his devotion, it showed poorly to her beside the humble, intense, yet un- conscious adoration of the great intellect she had now captiyated Poor Father Leonard was in the meantime in sorry strait; he had been successful enough in combating the straw devils he had been taught to set up and fight with, but his first great temptation bowled him down like nine-pin. What was most pitiable of al he continued taunting the enemy from his outworks, with unsuspecting exul- tation long after his citadel had fallen His nex- perienco his simplicity, his purity of character all 1,l. l.:. road he was travelling. For the first time in his life he knew true, noble minded woman, intimate ly; he felt that her heart beat in sympathy with his; and he commenced, unwittingly, to fight the wretched battle where success is more disastrous than defeat; for that first place in woman's afec- tions from which he morally and legally debarr- ed, whice no true man could ask or accept, for which many true man has spent years in silent longing. In this contest, Father Leonard's efemi- nate nature his bad training, and his ardent tenn perament were dreadfuly against him; without the resolution to fly from the temptation he could no longer resist he falls at last helplessly below our pity and our respect
 Matters in the meantime took bad turn with Mir and Mrs Gaunt. Full of superstitious reverence for the priesty character of her confessor dazzed by his splendid talents Kate found great pleasure in his admiration, and when after time the de- mon ofjealousy aroused in Griffith by an intriguing servant began to show itself in offensive insulting language towards herself and in coarse, ungentle. manly treatment of Father Leonard, the new affec- tion which had begun with supplementing the old, seemed on the point of supplanting it. This state of things is thus powerfully but disagreably set forth by MT Reade himself Leonard, Chad per- suaded her to found school in this dark parish. and in it he taught the poor with exemplary and touching patience. Well, when he spoke to her about this school it was in words of practical good sense, but in tones of love; and she, being one of those femenine women who catch the tone they are addressed n and instinctively answer in tune. and moreover, seeing no ill but good, in the subject of their conversation, replied sometimes unguard- edly in accents almost as tender ! F
 'sIn truth if Love was really parsonage, as the heathens figured, he must have often perched on a tree in that quiet grove, and chuckled and mocked when this man and woman sat and murmured to- gether in the soft seducing twilight about the love iof God"
 Griffith had in the meantime become thoroughly aroused and thoroughly dangerous, volcano in eruption, he wants the terrific majesty of Othello but he is nevertheless. very ugly daily spectacle for Mrs Gaunt, who begins to have dim perception that her happiness, perhaps her life, hangs by thread. MT Reade has theory on which, in such once before in less uncomfortable predicament It is not complimentary to her sex, and is we be- keve incorrect: e@sE
 4 Drive donkey too hard it kicks
 Drive man too hard, it hits
 Drive a woman too hard, it cajoles"
 She coaxes her husband, keeps out of Leonard's way, and writes that he must leaye he is too deep love to obey; she meets him clandestinely and has just persuaded him to depart when her husband appears and an awful explosion ensues Father Leonard is lucky enough to escape alive but is seen no more; Griffith leaves in frenzy intending never to return. 1T he has our respect, but he soon loses it. Straying of under an assumed name, into another county, he has one of those dreadful illnesses which abound in sensational noves falls in love with his nurse, and commits bigamy. We must confess that after this we take no pleasure in any further proceedings of Mr Griffith Gaunt His moral system is afflicted with leprosy and we are all the while praying that death will soon afford him and us the only re- lief possible. His case may be of interest to Mir. Reade, who has made special study of fatal moral diseases, but to few else.
 The story proceeds thus: Griffith goes back, rather unaccountably it seems to us, for money Mrs Gsunt easily dispels his suspicious; his old love returns but not to the entire obliteratiol of the new and he founders about in inextricable diff culty, all that was good in him being rapidly eaten out by hR acfid moral maiady till finally his viii lainies are discovered, both women cast him of and he disappears under such circumstances asl lead to Kate's prosecution for his murder. The
 ial which follows is the best court scene NC have