Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-06-11
WHOLE NUMBER, 5O7.

free gift for her lifetime, with sui
iicient income for all her wants. In the
second place he was anxious that she
should not misinterpret his motives.
Whatever his opinion of her conduct
might be, he did not rely on it as afford
ing his only justification for leaving
her. Setting personal feelings aside,
he felt religious scruples connected
with his marriage) which left him no
other alternative than the separation on
which he had resolved. He would
briefly explain those scruples and men
tion his authority for entertaining them
before he closed his letter."
There the page was turned down and
the explanation was concealed from me.
A faint color stole over her face as I
handed the letter back to her.
at is needless for you to read the
rest" she said. "You know under his
own hand that he has left me, and
(f such thing pleads with you in his
favor) you also know that he is liberal
in providing for his deserted wife,"
attempted to speak. She saw in my
face how I despised him and stopped
me.
"Whatever you may think of his con-
Duct" she continued, az beg that you
will not speak of it to me. May I ask
your opinion (now you have read his
letter. on another matter in which my
own conduct is concerned? In former
days"
She paused, poor soul, in evident con-
fusion and distress.
"why speak of those daysp" ven-
tured to say.
"I must speak Of them. In former
days I think you were told that my
fathers will provided for my mother and
for me. You know that we have enough
to live on?"
/ had heard of it at the time Of our
betrothal, when the marriage settlement
was in preparation. The mother and
daughter had each little income of
few hundreds year. The exact amount
had escaped my memory.
After answering her to this effect, ]
waited to hear more.
She suddenly became silent, the most
painful embarrassment showed itself in
her face and manner. "Never mind the
rest" she said, mastering her confusion
after an interval. 81 have had some
hard trials to bear /; I forget things
she made ON effort to finish the sentence
and gave it up, and called to the dog to
come to her. The tears were in her
eyes, and that was the way she took to
hide them from me.
In general am not quick at reading
the minds of others, but I thought I
understood Stella. Now that we are
face to face the impulse to trust me had
for the moment got the better of her
caution and her pride; she was self.
ashamed of it, half-inclined to follow it.
1 hesitated no longer. The time for
which had waited, the time to prove
without any indelicacy on my side that
I had never been unworthy of her, had
surely come at last.
"Do you remember my reply to your
letter about Father Benwell ?" I asked.
eyes, every word Of it,"
"I promised, if you ever had need OF
me, to prove that I had never been un.
worthy of your confidence. In your
present situation I can honorably keep
my promise. Shall wait till you are
calmer, or shall I go on at once"
"At once |"
"When your mother and your friends
took you from me-" I resumed, {" if you
had shown any hesitation"
She shuddered. The image of my
unhappy wife, vindictively confronting
us on the church steps, seemed to be
recalled to her memory.
"Don't go back to itp she cried
"Spare me, entreat you'll"
opened the writing case in which I
had kept the papers sent to me by the
rector of Belhaven, and placed them
on the table by which she was sitting.
The more plainly and briefly I spoke
now the better thought it might be
for both Of us.
"Since we parted at Brussels" I said,
"my wife has died. Here is copy of
the medical certificate of her DEATH"
Stella refused to look at it.
az don't understand such things"
she answered, family. "What is this ?"
She took up my wife's death-bed
confession.
"Read it," / said.
She looked frightened.
"What will it tell me?" she asked.
"It will tell you, Stella, that false
appearances once led you into wronging
an innocent man."
Having said this, I walked away to
window behind her, at the further end
of the room, so that she might not see
me while she read.
After time-how much longer it
seemed to be than it really was II
heard her move. As I turned from the
window she ran to me, and fell on her