, 1873-07-13

moro common In critica,nB Of romanoes and
dramas thnn tho comment that tho hero or hero
fnc was not true to nature, because he or ehe ia
without motive; and that tho situations arc i'm
probable, aud could not layo happened In real
life, because in real lilo thoro ia always reaaon
nb1o cause for every action. Tho story In quos-
ton. hoWovor, ouco moro provcs tho truth Of
tho old saying TINT truth Ia stranger than 1o-
tlon, and shows that our noxt-door noighbor,
undor certain circumstances, Is just "a lable
to do things without any ostonsibla purpose as
tho stage hero or tho heroine Of tho romance.
Tho story turns upon law-auit, In which tho
validity OF q viii WAS at issue. Some four years
ngo, tho testator, who WAS tho son OF Scotch
merchant, came to London after living somo
tmo In China. He was wealthy, and hold high
eooial poaitlon. Some time aftor his arrival In
London, ho mot Welsh girl, who was living
With ono Of hia frionda as lady's maid. She WAS
very attractive, graceful, clover, and beautiful,
but fliterato md Of low extraction. By his per-
suaalon sho loft her situation and lived with
him as his mistress for certain timo, at tho
expiration OF which she was lawfully married to
him In Glasgow. This Bhould bc tho natural
donoucmont Of tho Btory, md theroaftor, by
oil the ru1oa Of custom md precedent, hor life
should have boon quiet and unoventful ono.
eho had attained her purpose by lnarrisgo,
and by the snme act had attained oloar right to
be FREQ from scandal or roproach. Like Lady
Twias, aud humorous othora. she should, during
tho zoat Of hor life, have condonod for tho err
rora Of the past by leading an irroproachablo
life and commanding herself to society both by
her oloVerneas and her goodness. There WAS no
longer any necessity for tho docoptiona and con-
cealments which woro necessary whom she wns
living as missress and trying to convince
tho world that sho 3as wife, And by
eyory rulo Of ordinary experience, sho might
hare spent tho remainder Of her days In happi.
neHa and quiet. Instead Of that, eho delber-
ately onvclopod herself In tissue Of docoptiouB,
for which thore was no reasonable motive. and
whfoh wero all tho moro inexpicablo from tho
faot TINT they were liable to bo exposed at any
moment. In tho fret place, Hhe was married
uuder an assumed nnme, aftor having livod as q
miRtress under her own namo. Then she ropro-
| aonted herself to be tho daughter Of clergy
man, whoroaa sho HaB tho daughter Of Welsh
farmer. sho Ind strong Welsh nc
cont in her speech, and this aho turn
cd to account by making people believe
she Of foreign birth, and that her accent WAS
German. Aa sho waB poor writar, aho en-
ployod some OF her friendn to write for hor. Gho
persuaded her husband to countenance her de-
coptsonB, and ho gave out that Hho was Of ariBto-
cratic BIRTH. Thon she announced hor Intention
Of making visit to her noble rolatons In Ger
many, whereas she in reality went to SEQ
hor mothor in Wales, and, when sho re-
turned, sho brought m infant with ho1, which
she represented to be her own chlld. Her deccp-
tions wero very succossful for time. sho
wan admitted into ariBtocratio society,
md hax hupbaul truught her to Lon
don, whore thoy 1ivod in handsome apart-
monts In ColVillo Gardens, Sic convinced her
husband and her friends that aho had presented
the former with IN heir.
In 1863 the husband diod, leaving tho proceeds
Of Lis property to Lis wife as long es eho TO-
mained unmarried. BY tho conditions OF tho
WILL, however, II eho married. sha waB to hayo
but e1oo yoar. A1most any person analyzing
the curious conduct Of this woman would say at
onco TINT ehe had carried on this systom Of de-
ceptionB for tho purpose Of securing tho proper
ty, but this theory is at once exploded by tho
1act that, two years after her husbands death,
she marrioa Captain III the army, in tho faco Of
tho provisions Of tho will, thus deliberately
throwing away the handsome property, and re-
cetVing but pa1try hundred per annum, In
1860, the woman herself died, and then tho
Trustees began to look little more particularly
INTO the history Of tho case AZ suit waa brought
which turned upon tho parontago Of the boy. 4
very brief Investigation showed that tho boy was
the son Of q woman named Alston, whose husband
was coachman, and that lie WAS born in Bays-
water, in 1860. Tho heroine OF tho Btory won't |
to thiH woman and induced her to part with her
aon upon condition that ho should be adopted |
by her and handsomely brought up. Upon this
showing Of tho Truateos, tho Court docidod that |
tho bEothora ind sisters Of tho toBtator wore |
ontitlcd to his fortune Horo is certainly clear |
case Of abaenco Of motive. There is no an
FA1eAs e"oao "Ay 1AH ouco 1aQy8 maid,
after having become tho rife Of the
rich merchant, and having apparently
attained tho object Of hor ambition, should hayo
deliberately commonced gorlous Of cunning de-
coptions which were, as far Us can be discovered,
absolutely without motive. The motive Of
money, which usually explains all aocla1 mys-
teries, did not apply in this case, because aho
deliberately and OF ler own froo will I
throw the whole property away by mur-
rying second time. Tho only othor
motive left is the love Of adventure, but
why should woman comfortably situated
choose to indulge In aerios Of adventures which
resulted In no benefit to her2 Thoy had no
financial advantage. Thoy did not crafty any