Litchfield enquirer., 1880-10-14
WHOLE NO. 1889

out her hand. ''We are old acquaintance.
though you did treat US stability by running
away without saying goodbye"
| Gerald touched the hand extended to him,
murmured something in reply to the question,
and then fell back few steps until it should
be time to offer his arm. ffa<
I He looks i'll" Maud said to herself. ''It
is very awkward, and he is evidently ashamed
of himself. Poor fellow, expect he is very
| unhappy. What mistakes we all makel'
Maud had been married but four months,
but she spoke as if she was conscious that she
too had made mistake. In the few minutes
! which elapsed before dinner was announced,
Gerald had recovered from the shock that the
meeting had given him, and was enabled, as
| he took her down, to follow the lead she had
given him, and to talk to her as to IAN indif-
ferent acquaintance. The party was large
one, and the conversation was not, therefore,
general. They chatted together upon differ
emit subjects; the opera, the last new book, the
Parliamentary struggle, the Derby which was
to be run on the morrow. Not word was
said of Ilfracombe. tss a.s.t.. i.,I uzh
Mr.. Gossett is not here" said Gerald,
looking round the table.
''No; he promised to come, but he is SO
busy at the bank he could not get away and
as Mrs, Patterson is cousin of mine, was
able to come alone"
7 When dinner was nearly over, Maud said:
o ''You are not looking well, Mr.. MayfieldJ"
u 81 have not been quite well, Mrs. Gossett,
for some, time. Overwork, | suppose. am
going abroad to Australia, next week, proba-
bly, for some years" $50
Maud looked up at him. .na1ai.r
''For some years, Dir. Mayfeld? do you mean
it ?" -
eyes, Mrs. Gossett have been restless
and unsettled here for some months, so am
N nf h,ras 41s.k
there. Some one must go; and am glad to
be the One." +-...-.
II SIS Mrs. Mayfeld here ? OF course she goes
with your" - DO
Mrs. Mayfeld Do you think am mar
ried, Maud?'' ...t.-
She did not notice the Christian name
-"Are you not ?" " .' ".- A&s
:'Married married. Who can have told
you such monstrous thing3 ?" , ..t
For full minute Maud did not answer.
She was looking down into her plate, and the
color had all did out of her face. gil .7N ..
Il heard it mentioned" she said. Ger
tainly some one said so. l suppose it was
mistake. There was nothing monstrous in
it," - 80 WIZ
SIT would be monstrous to me-" Gerald
said. ''Believe me, Mrs. Gossett, whoever
may henceforth tell you that Gerald May6eld-
is married, you can tell them it is not SO. l
snail never marry-neVer. +
For time no further word was spoken.
The color did not return to her cheek. Pres
emily she said
81 am going to ask you strange question,
one should not ask were it not that you are
going away, and that, perhaps perhaps we
shall not meet again. 1t is we'll to clear up
misunderstanding. Why did you leave Ilfra-
combe so suddenly without even saying good
bye?" -.. .,...... .... e.. ~,.. ,.s-T
"May tell you the truth 2'' -
Mrs. Gossett bowed her head.
"Because heard-of course there's no Sc
cret now-because l heard from Gossett that
you were engaged to him-that you had been
engaged to him for months and loved you
SO could not trust myself to see you again"
Again she sat silent, and without a vestige
of color in her face. There was a slight
noise at the head of the table, and sudden
flush leaped into her cheek.
1--WE are going, y she said. "Don't come
up stairs-dont see me again before you go.
Have your promise ?"
"You have, he said
''Then God bless you, Gerald, and make
you happy. Say anything you like to me
it is for the last time. 1t cannot be very
wrong"
.'God bless you, my darling, my own lost
love May you be happYw h, =
AS he spoke she rose, gave him her hand,
looked full in his race with wan look of
sorrow and love, and was gone.
When she returned to her homc she went
straight into the library, at which her hus-
band was still busy with books and papers.
lie looked up.
"Bless us, Maud, what is the matter? You
look like ghost"
L have seen Gerald Mayfeld," she said,
land know that you lied to las both. You
told him we were engaged you told Inc he
was married. What have you to say?"
"Say2" Gossett SAID, with light laugh.
Nothing. Everything is fair in love or war.
1t we were not engaged, knew we should be
soon: so was only anticipating the thing a
little"
paul Gossett," his wife said "when you
asked me to marry you, told you that did
not love you as woman should love man
she was going to marry, but that would give
you what love Icould, and would do my best
to make you a good wife. You were con-
tent with the terms, and said that you hoped
and believed the love would come. l hoped
so too. We have not been married long, but
long enough for me to see that your love is no
truer than mlne., / should have no right to
complain that you gave no more than |, and
could have gone on with liking and respect.
That is over forever. | find you won me by
a lie-that you have neither honor nor gehe4
rosity. l will not bring scandal upon our
names, but at present cannot live with you.
Tomorrow shall go home to my mother;
she is i'll, and it will appear natural for me to
wish to be with her. After time may get
over the horror feel, and then l will come
back and try to do my duty" .,.........
t'And how about Mr.. Gerald Mayfleld?"
Paul Gossett asked with an evil smile.
Maud stepped back pace, as If che had
been struck, and put her hand to her heart.
"God help mel" she said, 'and am married
to this mani" And without another word she
went out and left him. 7yau1 uFh"f"
3. Gerald Mayield was sitting in his office at
Melbourne two years after his arrival in
Australia, when he heard the shouting of the
newsboys outside, ''Great fraud in EngiandI
Second edition of the argus !" In another min
ute clerk came in. ............ 90. ....
Here is the ATgus,, Sir. Another great
banking swindle at home. ~. 8 20 .a' 's.-'s.
When Gerald was alone, he opened the pa
per and read, in large letters ,.,... .s.r .
TGREAT FRAUD AND EMBEzzLEMENT. The
Metropolitan and Suburban Bank has been
robbed of upwards of 100000 by its
manager, Paul Gossett. The frauds have
been going on for years. Money lost in stock
exchange gambling. Gossett still at large.
Police on his track. All outward bound Ves-
sells watched" @ ss3 e. ~. rt't-
] For long time Gerald, Mayfield sat with
out moving. Poor girl 2" be SAID at last, as
he put down the paper. ''I never thought the
fellow looked honest. Ilputit down to preju-
dice, but I was right after . all j wonder
what she will do ? saw that her mother died
just after 1 came out. I suppose her for
tune's safe" llNaa .eeH@7F' p" 'it9..S ="
; Two days later came another telegram
'fGossett still at large His wife has hand
ed over her own fortune, of f25, 900 to the
bank.''i0T r 1858! 1G9Hd "Dl ''E ."A'+
Then Gerald Mayfeld sent telegram tohis
partner: o,,o.,5 -, ae,t q y51,eit,l :.
'tFind out address of Gossett the defauter's
wife Place ESQ to her credit at bank adj
wise her anonymously that an equal sum will
be paid in quarterly. Bessure it is done so as
to be untraceable. You remember our CONVEX