Litchfield enquirer., 1872-02-08

wards. servant entered, and announced that Mir. Harlowe waited for me below. ] directed he should be shown into the H brary and after iterating my assurance to Edith that she was quite safe from yiolence beneath my roof, and that would presently return to hear her expla nation of the affair, went down stairs. MT. Harlowe, as entered, was pacing rapidly up and down the apartment. He turned to face me and thought he looked even more perturbed and anxious than vengeful and angry. He, however. as coldly bowed, and demanded his bus mess with me, instantly assumed a bully. ing air and tone.
 "Mrs. Harlowe is here she has surrep. titiously left South Audley Street in 6 hired cab, and have traced her to this house."
 "Well ?" ....r
 ''Welll trust it is well and insist that she instantly return to her home 5
 "Her hoDae!"
 used the word with an expression sig nificative only of my sense of the sort oi s'home" he had provided for the gentle girl he had sworn to love and cherish but the random shaft found joint ip bis armOr at which it was not aimed. He visibly trembled, and turned pale.
 ''She has had time to tell you all then But be assured, sir, that nothing she has heard or been told, however true it may be-naGy be, remember, say-ean be le- gally substantiated except by myself"
 What could the man mean? was fairly puzzled but, professionally accus- toned to conceal emotions of surprise and bewilderment, coldly rephed-'.I have left the lady who has sought the protec- ton of her true nome, merely to ascer- tain the reason of this visit. "
 ''The reason of my visit P he exclaimed with renewed fury; ''to reconvey her tc South Audley Street. What else? Il you refuse to give her up, shall apply to the police"
 smiled, and approached the bell.
 ''YOu will not surrender her then?''
 '"To judicial process only; of that be assured. I have little doubt that, when l am placed ill full possession of all the facts of the case, shall be quite able tC justify my conduct" He did not reply and continued elf you choose to wait here till have heard Edith's statement will at once frankly acquaint you with my final determination.
 "Be 1t so and please to recollect, sir that you have to deal with q man not easi- ly baffied or entrapped by legal subtlety or cunning"
 reascended to the drawing-room and finding Edith thanks to the ministra. tions, medicinal and oral, of my bustling and indignant lady-much calmer, and thoroughly satisfied that nobody could ol should wrest her from us, begged her to relate unreseryedly the cause or causes which had led to her present position She falteringly complied and I listened with throbbing pulse and burning cheeks to the sad story of her welded wretched ness, dating from within two or three months of the marriage and finally con summated by disclosure that, if prova. ble, might consign Harlowe to the hulks The tears, the agony, the despair of the unhappy lady, excited in me savageness of feeling, an eager thirst for vengeance which had believed foreign to my nature Edith divinsd my thoughts, and taking my hand, said, 'sNever, sir, never will appear against him the father of my lit tie Helen shall never be publicly accused by me-"
 ''You err, Edith, h,'' I reioined Sit is { positive duty to bring so consummate 6 villain tojustice. He has evidently calcu lated on your gentleness of disposition and must be disappointed.
 soon, however, found it was impossi ble to shake her resolution on this point and returned with 8 heart full of griei and bitterness to MT. Harlowe.
 'sYou will Oblige me, sir," I exclaimed as entered the room, ''by leaving this house immediately would hold no fur ther converse with so vile person."
 'sHow Do you know to whom you presame to speak in this manner?
 Perfectly. You are one Harlowe, who after few months residence with beau tiful and amiable girl, had extinguishe6 the passion which induced him to offel her marriage, showered on her every spe cies of insult and indignity of which { cowardly and malignant nature is capa ble and who, finding that it did not kill kill her, at length consummated, or re vealed, do not yet know which term ii most applicable, his utter haseness by causing her to he informed that his firsi wife was still living" @
 "UpOn my honor, sir, believed, wheI l married Miss WillOughby,. that was { widower"
 Your honOr!. But except to prove that I do thoroughly know and appreciate the person am addressing, I will not bie disclOsure-if, indeed, it be disclo sure, not an inventiOn- An. you star at that p
 'tAt your insolence, sir; not at you senseless surmises."
 Time and the law will show. After, repeat, this terrible disclosure OF inyen tidn, you, not content with obtaining iron your victims generosity positive prom ise that she would not send you to tho hulks"-
 'sSir, have 8 care"
 Pooh! I say, not content with ex acting this promise from your victim, you with your wife, or accomplice, threatened not only to take her child from her, but to lock her up in 2 mad house, unless shs subscribed a.paper, confessing that shs knew, when you espoused her, that you were married man. Now, sir, do !, ol do not, thoroughly know who and what the man is am addressing ?"
 Sir, returned Harlowe, recovering his audacity somewhat, 'fspite of all youl hectoring and abuse, I defy you to obtaiI proof-legal proof whether what Editl has Aeasd is true or false, ,Ehe affairma l perhaps be arranged; let her return witt 1 me. "l aL
 tt'You know she would die first; but il is quite useless to prolong this converse ton and again request you to leave this house.
 'sIf Miss willoughby would accept al aIlewance"-
 The eeoi aqdacity of this proposal tt make me an instrument in compromising felony exasperated ne beyond al bounds. I rang the bell violently, ani desired the servant who answered it tt show Mir. Harlowe out of the house Finding further persistence useless, tn, baffied villain snatched up his hat, anG with look and gesture of rage and con tempt, hurried ont of the apartment. 3 The profession of g barrister Hecessari | ly begets habits of ceelneas and reelection under the most exciting circumstances but, confess, that in this instance. m, ordinary equanimity was so omuch disturb ed, that it was some time before I coult command sufficient comuOSure to reason