The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-25
THE THIRTYFIR8T LECTURE.
MRS. CAUDLE COMPLAINS VERY BITTERLY THAT MIR
cAUDIE HAS "BRoKEN HER CONFIDENCE"

you'll catch me, Mr.. Caudle telling you
anything again. Now, l don't want to have
any noise; don't wish you to put yourself in
a passion. All say is this: never again do
open my lips to you about anybody. No; if
man and wife can't be one, why there's an
end OF everything. Oh, you know very well
what mean, Mr.. Caudle; you've broken my
confidence in the most shameful and most
heartless way, and l repeat it-I can never be
again to you as | have been. No: the little
charm-it wasn't much-that remained about
married life is gone forever. Yes the blooms
quite wiped off the plum now.
Don't be such hypOcrte, Caudle; don't
ask me what mean Mrs. Badgerly has been
here-more like a iend, Pm sure, than a
quiet woman. haven't done trembling yet
You know the state of my nerves, too you
knOw-yes, sir, had nerves when you mar
ried me and l have MT just found 'em out.
Well, you've something to answer for, l
think. The Badgerlys are going to separate
she takes the girls, and he the boys, and all
through you. How you can lay your head
upon that pillow and think of going to sleep,
| can't tell What hare you done? Well you
have a face to ask the question: Done
You've broken my confidence, Mr.. Caudle
you taken advantage of my tenderness, my
trust in you as a wife-the more fool | for my
pains and you've separated happy couple
forever. No; I'm not talking in the clouds
Pm talking in your bed, the more my misfor-
tune.
"Now, Caudle-yes, I shall sit up in the
bed if choose Pm not going to sleep till
have this properly explained for Mrs
Badgerly sha'n't lay her separation at my
door. You won't deny that you were at the
club last night? No. bad as you are, Caudle,
and though you're my husband, l can't
think you're good man; l try to do, but l
can't-bad as you are, you can't deny you
were at the club. What? You don't deny 1t?
That's what l say-you can't. And now, an
swer me this question. What did you say
before the whole world-of Mr.. Badgerly's
whiskers? There's nothing to laugh it,
Caudle; if you'd have seen that poor woman,
to-day, you'd have a heart ofstOne to laugh.
What did you say of his whiskers? Didn't
you tell everybody he dyed 'em? Didn't you
hold the candle up to 'em, as you said, to
show the purple TO be sure you did? Ha
people who break Jokes never care about
breaking hearts. Badgerly went home like a
demon; called his wife false woman; vowed
he'd never enter bed again with her, and to
show that he was in earnest, slept all
night upon the sofa. He said it was the
dearest secret of his life; said she had told me-
and that | had told you; and that's how it
had come out. What do you say ? Badgsrly
WGS right? did tell you? l know l did but
when dear Mrs. Badgerly mentioned the mat
IbI W HE dliCl q lew lIl6LtlS do VIC W6IG ali
laughing at tea together, quite in confden-
tial way-she just spoke of her husbands
whiskers, and how long he was over them
every mOrning-of course, poor soul she
never thought it was to be talked of in the
world again. Eli? Then had no right to tell
you oft? And that's the way Pm thanked
for my confidence. Because l don't keep
secret from you, but show you,
may say, my naked soul, Caudle,
that's how Pm rewarded. Poor Mrs.
Badgerly-for all her hard words-after she
went away, Pm quite sure my heart bled for
her. What do say, Mr.. Caudle SerUeS her
riqht-She should hold her tongue Yes; that's
like your tyranny-you'd never let poor
woman speak. Eth, what, what, Mr.. Caudle?
''That's very fine speech, dare say; and
wives are very much obliged to you, only
there's not bit of truth in it. No, we women
don't get together, and pick our husbands to
pieces iast as sometimes mischievous little
girls rip up their dolls. That's an old
sentiment of yours, Mr.. Caudle: but Pm sure
you've no occasion to say it of me. l hear
good deal of other peoples husbands, GER
tainly; | can't shut my ears; l wish l could:
but / never say anything about you-and
might, and you know it-and there's some
body else that knows it, too. No: | sit still
and say nothing; what | have in my own
bosom about you, Caudle, will be buried
with me. But | know what you think of
wives. | heard you taking to Mr.. Prettyman,
when you little thought | was listening, and
you didn't know much what you were saying
i heard you. My dear Prettyman,' says
| you, when some women get talking, they
! club all their husbands faults together, Just
as children club their cakes and apples, to
! make a common feast for the whole SET Eh
! You don't remember 1t But | do: and re-
member too what brandy was left when Pret-
lyman went. 'Twould be odd if you could
remember much about it after that.
''And now you've gone and separated man
and wife, and Pm to be blamed for it. You've
proved to me that henceforth I'm not to trust
you with anything, Mr.,Caudle. No. I'll lock
| up whatever know in my own breast-for
now l find nobody, not even ones own hus-
band, is to be relied upon. From this moment,
! may look upon myself as a solitary woman,
| Now, it's no use your trying to 60 to sleep.
What do you say You kno,0 that? Very
well. Now, want to ask you one question
more. Eh You lCdnt to ask me one? Very
well-go on-I'm not afraid to be catechised.
| never drOpt a syllable that as a wife ought
to have kept to myself-nO, Pm not at all for
! getting what I've said-and whatever you've
got to ask me speak out at once. NO-l don't
want you to spare me; all want You to do is
to speak. You ,oW speak? Well then, do
''What Who told peapie yoG'd a tatSe Front
tooth? And is that all Well, Pm sure-as
if the world couldn't see it. know | did Just
mention it once, but then | thought everybody
knew it-besides, was aggravated to do it;
yes, aggravated. | rememberit was that very
day, at Mrs. Badgerly's, when husbands
whiskers came up. WE'LL after we'd done
with them, somebody said something about
teeth Whereupon Miss Prettyman-a mink
she was born to destroy the peace of families
i know she was; she was there; and if I'd
only known that such a creature was-no
llirnrr nt oil nr,d