The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-02-08
THE JEALOUS BARONET.

and fields until, perhaps, one o'clock at
which hour l returned home to enjoy my
wife's society, and when the weather
permitted, we occasionally took walk or
ride.
One morning feeling my self not quite
well, L returned much earlier than usual,
about eleven o'clock, and went into the
house by back entrance: as neither
knocking or ringing announced my ar
rival my wife was not aware of my return.
l sought her first in the drawing room,
but not finding her there, proceeded to
her bedroom, and whilst bassing through
my dressing room to it, l was surprised
by sudden rush to the bedroom door,
which was instantly bolted from within,
distinctly heard low whispering, and, as
thought, hurried receding step, yet
altogether, was not kept waiting more
than few seconds. My wife's maid
opened the door, when, to my great per-
plexity, l beheld my wife's usually pale
face suAused with crimson bushes. l
also detected her manoeuvering comb
through her hair to hide, as l instantly
suspected, her bushes from me, or her
disordered curls.
"What is the meaning of this ?" thought
/; cit is strange. The maid, too, looks
confused and frightened"
My wife did not hasten to meet me with
her usual sunny welcome; there was not
even one smile to greet me. At length
recovering herself little she with a
hesitating manner said,
"Well, my love, how goes on the
farm 2"
But was grieved; for the first time in
my life | felt that [ was not welcome l
felt that something was going on that /
was not to know, so merely saying, Il
will tell you when we meet in the drawing
room" quilted her abruptly.
Not knowing whittier l was going, or
why | suffered so sudden, so frightful a
revolution of feeling. 1 hurried down
stairs, rushed through the hall, across the
lawn, and plunged into the fir path that
leads to asequestered part of the grounds;
nor did l slacken my pace until was
fully mile from the house, when | threw
myself upon the green bank by the side
of the river, the most miserable of men,
| who, one hour before, was the happiest
of men, now unaccountably, unutterably
wretched.
Pride had, at that moment, prevented
my asking for an explanation, that |
thought ought to have been given un-
sought; and l determined not to ask
Lady why my visit was evidently
unwelcome.
But henceforth I resolved to keep
watchful eye upon her. A thousand
thoughts crowded upon me, now that |
discovered that there was something
which my wife kept concealed from me,
she whom I had thought so artless SO
free from all duplicity.
At this period I had attained my thir-
tieth year. Lady was only two
years younger than myself, but from her
sweet and girlish style of beauty, and gay
happy manner, no one would suppose her
more than twenty. She had been
educated on the continent. | knew that,
Soon after leaving school, she said received
matrimonial proposals-if she had not
been actually engaged to gentleman
before quitting Paris. Hitherto this
circumstance had never given the slight
est uneasiness but now my thoughts in
voluntarily reverted to it, and haunted
me night and day.
Between my wife and her maid there
was an unusual intimacy, owing, as I un-
derstood, to the latter being what is
called an old follower of the family.
This woman was one of the talest ever
knew, and large in proportion; her face
was handsome the features strongly de-
fined, her eyes large, intensely dark and
penetrating; her long black ringlets
looked false; in appearance you would
have said that she was nearer fifty than
forty. This person, with her erect figure,
was, taken altogether, what many would
pronounce very fine woman, but some
what masculine,
Having described my wife's maid, how
shall | tell you of the horrible suspicion
which seized upon my Imagination
thought, perehance, this maid-was
the foreign lover in dia0uisai