The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-09-12

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OFF. SO go, and you need not follow
You could not find me even if yol
wished. Remember that henccfortl
your life is free from me. Think ofm
as dead, If you like. In your hands j
the only proof OF our marriage -destro,
1t; nothing will then stand between
You and peace. | have only to beg yol
to forgive me for allowing you to linl
your fate with a miserable and impov
erished wife instead of with an heircss
as you hoped"
The letter ended as abruptly as il be
gan and was sealed aud placed OF
brakes writing table. Dorcas cam,
softly into the room, crying little in
quiet way. Everything was ready
they could go.
Late that evening Leonard Drake re
turned to be Mortified bv the news tha
ms wife was not there, though the do
mcstic had supposed, from what Dor
cas- said, that she and her mistress hat
gone TO Dover to meet Mr.. Drake
Leonard took a light and hurried to hi,
room, where tho first object that me
his eyes was The letter Lydia had writ
ten.
Five years had elapsed since LYDIA.
disappearance. But she looked Older
even than that. The agony of that dav
the horrld flight afterwards; the con.
slant fear of discovery, and lastly the
struggle for bread, combined with her
never-ending heartache, had begun to
cut wrinkles i'll her still fair face.
In all this time she had never beard
of her husband nor of her early home.
She was too proud to return TO her IA
ther.
81 will starve first" she often said.
clcnching her hands.
Whether Leonard was alive or dead
she did not know nor did she wish TO
know. Sometimes she said to herself.
moaning on her pillow at night, "IIe is
with Mrs. Dorchester" and the thought
went through her heart with actual
physical pain, like the stab of a knife.
She and her faithful Dorcas were set
tied in Boston now, in an obscure cor
ner, as the least likely place to be dis
covered. She earned o scanty living,
and it was one of the scantiest, by col
oring photographs. Into the more fash
ionable streets she never venturcd,
except when she had to 20 to sell her
sketches, OF to get orders. On one of
these occasions she came suddenly face
to face with Mrs. Dorchester. She
turned and fled immediately regardless
of her errand-fled down side streets
and close alleys-and only stopped TO
breathe when she had reached her hum
bic lodging in one of the most secluded
parts of the city. But hardly had she
closed the door, hardly had she begun
to tell Dorcas that they must fly, when
Mrs. Dorchester unannounced forced
herself into the room.
81 have followed you," said the latter
unceremoniously as Lydia rose angrily.
81 will speak, Mrs. Drake"
"llave the goodness to leave my
room," answered Lydia, tottcring TO
her feet. 81 do not know you nor the
name by which you have addressed
me-"
"Iou have been mad long enough"
sternly exclaimed her visitor, sitting
down. "Try TO come back to your
senses. shall not 90 till have cx-
planned. A few words will do it.
Your husband and |, instead of being
what you thought, were trying to keep
a great misfortune from you, or if that
could not be done, to break it to YOU
carefully"
There was an air of truth about the
speaker that staggered Lydia. She
sank nerveless into a chair.
81 must tell the whole story in order
to exculpatc ourselves" said Mrs. Dor
chester. "Iour father got into difficult
ties, forged my husbsnd's name to
large amount, and was on the point OF
exposure when Mr.. Dorchester died.
The affairs then came into my hands to
SETTLE"
Lydia sat leaning both elbows on the
table before her, her face supported on
her hands, listening and looking as fiat
her doomstcr.
81 would have prosecuted your fa-
ther, but it would have sent him to die
in prison." continued Mrs. Dorchester,
'and would have publicly disgraccd all
his family. You knew, by name, as
the wife of my cousin, with whom |
had been brought up in the country as
a child and whom loved as q brother,
nothing more," she added emphatically.
besides, ! was woman, and hope
not a cruel one. So refused to prose
cute, suffered the loss of the money and
hushed the matter up."
A groan burst from Lydia.
Mrs. Dorchester went on: "Then
met your husband unexpectedly. lie
had received some hiBts about your
father, and he insisted on knowing the
truth. lie then said You ought TO be
told. But replied that it would only
pain you necdlcssly; if you continued
estranged You might never hear the
story. He answered that it would
come to your ears, sooner or later.
This is why you saw us so much to-
gelher, and why, on several occasions,
he sought private interviews with me.
One evening he nearly won nv con-
sent. But hardly had he gone before
repent ed shrank from il, YOU see, as
woman and | wrote to him, telling
him he must still keep our secret
That letter, 1t seems, or Il portion of it,
you found. lie was tearing il mp,
when Won came into the room, and he
put what was left of it hastily into a
book that lay nigh, as he afterwards re-
membcrcd. AS soon as he could, he
hurried TO consult me. You were, he
said, getting jealous; you evidently
misunderstood us; and he must tell the
story now in justice to himself. / was
engaged with party TO Dover, and the
room was full; so he joined us, in or
der to have an opportunity to say all
this. OF course, in this crisis, my scru-
pies gave way. My reward is that YOU
have believed me a vile woman.
There, that's the whole. I've told the
story, perhaps, in hard way; I'm
sorry for you, all the same. Thank
God, I've found you"
She had risen while speaking, and
caught Lydia's dress in the excitement
of telling the hurried tale. Lydia's
gaze, which at first had hecn fixed on
her so angrily, had fallen before her
she had buried her face in her hands
and now, as Mrs. Dorchester ceased,
the wretchcd listener sank scnsclcss 10
the floor.
When Lydia revived, Mrs. Dorchcs-
ter finished. Leonard Drake had spent
three years in searching for his wife,