The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-07-25

Ol foreigner. w no COUlu Sile hc lfll Slc
came for legal advice TO Spendrith 1t Is
true that II anybody does happen to he sud-
denly in want of legal advice at Spendrith
he is bound to come to mo.
] bowed and waited, and she went on.
al am told that you are able and honest"
she said, "and, therefore, | como TO you,
You asked my name, and | gave you my
card. II i@one of my names, the name by
which am known. have one more. My
birth name is Ray-lulict Ray. Did you
ever hear the name before ~
Never in my lifc," said |.
Then, before ! tell you more, may ask
you il you are prepared TO undertake, as
lawyer and n gentleman, the cause Of
woman against the most cruel wrong that
ever was done by man cause that
will give you honor and glory throughout
the land 2"
Never mind the honor and glory" said
|. The question is whether | could find the
time and spare the pains. OF course, shall
he glad TO help TO get justice done, Just for
the sake of the thing, lawyer though am.
But must hear the story first"
"You shall hear il, and you shall hear
why | come to Spendritli for q lawyer. did
not suppose You would know the name of
Juliet Ray. But I had my reason for asking,
all the same. | was born in London. ! had
tive in the world. My mother was on the
stage. | cannot tell you all, for do not
know; but we were in Paris when my mother
| died, and when | was seventeen years old
without the means TO live, but with
| the need to live, you understand.
| Perhaps you will find IL hard TO believe,
but was rs innocent then as n young girl
can be-"
| let silence imply assent; but | was GER
tainly beginning TO wake up, and TO call my
professional wits together.
"lt was in Paris that | met young man
| if must call him so--who made love to me.
| | took him for n man of honor. lie swore,
Mr.. Lambourn, million times to make me
his wife, in the sight of heaven and in the
sight of man. In the sight of heaven he did
make me his wife; and when we were soon
after in London, he married me in church, as
| hc should have done before. He is scoun-
| drelI'
a. But IL he married you at any time, he
| did his best to right you, 1t seems to me-
WellY 20
al must not call him scoundrel p Wait !;
see what you will call him, il you are man !
We went abroad again-to Paris, to Vienna,
to twenty places-and then one day he left
me, never to return"
" He deserted you You did not hear from
him again ~
| " From him No; never one word Of
him No; not for years He left me to live
as best rs | could without means, but with
| all the need, once more. Perhaps you will
not find IL hard to believe that was no more
as innocent n fool as at seventeen
Again | let assent he implied in silence; so
much did not find IL hard to believe.
| "But hear of him at last, and he is mar
ried again!"
"You mean that you wish your husband
to be prosecuted for bigamy?'
"No, Nh. Lambourn. mean that | will
have my rights, and that will have my re-
vengel That is what mean! ~
And could soc, beyond any question, that
it was what she did mean. If her story was
true, she had certainly been ill-used but,
all the same, wished she had not come to
mo. felt that, from the beginning, had
not liked Miss, or Mrs., Laville.
81 don't care about taking criminal mat
trrs,' said, rather coldly. "There are
plenty of solicitors in the county. And If
you want-sincc you speak of your rights
to make any sort of profitable compromise, |
must decline yopr case on any terms. How
ever, rs you come for present advice, | sup
pose yop can proye Your marrage2"
" can prove it as surely as that ! livc!'
said she. 81 have my lines. Will that
dop
"Cerlainly they will do. You will have
to prove the second marriage, too"
lie won't deny that" said she, with a
smile. "AHd he won't deny that am |
and if he does, he can't deny that was alive
when his crime was committed and if he
does, there are scores and scores who will
know. lou ask mo why ! come to Spend
rth 1t is to make sure--to have him under
my hand. | have not found him out and
| bod TO Lat And
l 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 un
dertakc her case to fear of not being snfi
GENTLY well paid 2 If l had not much liked
her BEFORE liked her exceedingly little now
And who at Spendrith could possibly have
been guilty of bigamy, and of deserving q
; wife abroad knew every living creature
in the place-therc was not one whom could
connect in the Widest fancy with Mrs. La
) vale.
"Who is the man you say is your h,is
band % asked |.
suppose she thought that her last word.
had refreshed my interest in her.
I" The scoundrel who is my husband p
said she. "Therein
A little Electrically she laid document
before me. 1t was perfectly good and an
: thentic copy of register of marriage solemn
lied at London church between Juliet Ray
spinster, and-keginala Gervase!
Myeyes seemed to darlien and swim. What
could it mean! AS she sat there, triumphan,
in her coming vengeance or in her greed,
thought and thought; and themore Thought
the more clear the meaning grew. Som,
. months before the date of the marriage my
friend had been in Paris, knew. Just he
r,ra Ina data ha had RAT oil IN fnt
And then there was his long subsequent alb
y sence abroad for nearly whole year. Bu
still, was Reginald Gervase, who held duty
to be even above hOnor--if such thing car
, be--a man w,ip, pnder any circumstances
f. would, when he found himself suddenly ricl
and in high position before the world, rid
. himself of any woman-whether his wife OIL
.. not, md even if he had learned to hat,
and scom her-by leaving her 10 starve
y No doubt she must have been false to hin
> first. But even so, the pride of my own lif.
had gone; every illusion ! had darkened a
such shadow as this must be. Perhaps
> he had thought her dead. But no, that coul,
not be, unless he had wiled very hard, in
. deed, To think her so.
Leave me this PAPER" said |. "Cali oi
y me again tomorrow at ten; will think owe
y what yon have told me. Excuse me now. ;
"You will undertake the ease, then ?"
81 will try to do whatever is for the hes
" Miss Lavale."
"Who is Miss Lavalle 2" asked she as sh
left me. 81 am Lady Gervase."
! u,
d locked the copy af tho registar IN q safe
. where | kept my own private personal papers
r shut up my office, and went ont to walk my
n self cool. had met with skeleton ,,...1n ii
e Moor's, indeed lcoud see the whole mise,
= able history as if it had been writ