The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-08-24

mitted and If he does, there are scores
and scores who will know. You ask
me why come to Spendrith 1t is to
make sure-to have him under my
hand. l have not found him out and
tracked him down to let him go again.
And | come to you because you are
here; because you can watch for me.
When have my rights, you will have
yours too, never fear,"
So she had set down my reluctance to
undertake her case to fear of not being
sufficiently well paid If / had not
much liked her before, liked her ex-
ceedingly little now. And who at
Spendrith could possibly have been
guilty of bigamy, and of deserting a
wife abroad L knew every living
creature in the place-there was not one
whom could connect in the widest
fancy with Mrs. Lavalle.
"Who is the man you say is your
husband ?" asked /.
/ suppose she thought that her last
words had refreshed my interest in
her.
"The scoundrel who is my husbandp"
said she. "There |"
A little theatrically she laid a docu-
ment before me. 1t was perfectly good
and authentic copy of register of mar
riage solemnized at London church
between Juliet Ray, spinster, and
Reginald Gervase
My eyes seemed to darken and swim.
What could it meanY AS she sat there,
triumphant in her coming vengeance or
in her greed, thought and thought;
and the more thought, the more clear
the meaning grew. Some months before
the date of the marriage my friend had
been in Paris, / knew. Just before the
same date he had returned to town.
And then there was his long subsequent
absence abroad for nearly a whole year.
But, still, was Reginald Gervase, who
held duty even above honor-if such a
thing can be--a man who, under any
circumstances, would, when he found
himself suddenly rich and in a high
position before the world, rid himself of
any woman-whether his wife or not,
and even If he had learned to hate and
scorn her-by leaving her to starvep
No doubt she must have been false to
him first. But even so, the pride of my
own life had gone; every illusion had
darkened at such shadow as this must
be. Perhaps he had thought her dead.
But no, that could not be, unless he
had willed very hard indeed to think
her so.
Leave me this paper" said 1. "Call
on me again tomorrow at ten; L will
think over what you have told me.
Excuse me now.n
"You will undertake the case, then ?"
{" L will try to do whatever Is for the
best, Miss Lavalle."
"Who is Miss Lavalle ?" asked she,
as she left me. {" am Lady Gervase."
Ilocked the copy of the register in
safe, where kept my own private per-
sonal papers, shut up my Office, and
went out to walk myself cool. l had
met with skeleton from st. Moor's,
indeed could see the whole misera-
BILE history as If it had been written out
for me. The young barrister had made
fool of himself, as many otherwise
wise men have done. He had been en-
trapped by this woman In Paris. Per-
haps the pitifulness of her unprotected
condition had imposed upon him quite
as much as her bright cheeks and her
great black eyes. She had stuck to him
and drawn him into marriage no doubt
his sense of honor had helped her, how
ever much his reason must have opposed
her. 1t was she, no doubt, who had
swallowed up the whole of his little
fortune and kept him under water. 1t
was she who had been the cause of those
long vacations in Paris, which he used
to make even during his term time
And then, when fortune came to him,
he had gone abroad to hide what had,
no doubt, proved disgraceful marriage.
And then, no less beyond doubt, he had
discovered unfaithfulness in her and
had left her, half ashamed, half relieved,
as such a man would have left such a
woman, simply, utterly, and without a
word of blame. And then true love had
come into his heart. Perhaps he really
believed his first wife dead. Perhaps
the belief was too much due to the wish
who knows9 1t was not for me to
judge Reginald Gervase. knew the
man as he was, whatever he had done,