Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-06-07

1Ou
Norris"
Mrs. Bertram was assuredly beautiful
woman, although there were some who pre-
ferred to hold that her beauty was rather OF
the past than of the present. The years
had dealt kindly with her, however. If the
bloom of youth had gone, the canker of age
had not yet arrived. There was no wrinkle
upon her forehead, no silver thread was
traceable among her abundant golden-broWn
tresses. A certain sad, Wearied look about
her eyes there might be, with compression
of the lips, an occasional contraction OF the
nostrils: indications of experience OF life OF
suffering, of history. It was said Of Mrs.
Bertram that her existence had not always
been of so tranquil and prosperous nature
as it now was, or seemed to be. Perhaps
her face admitted as much.
Still, she was beautiful. She was dressed,
it must be admitted, in fashion OF the
past, for the events here narrated are not to
be accepted as of recent occurrence, and to
many the fashions that are little bygOne
seem to be almost contemplate. Beauty is
not seen at it's best, the world opines, in the
dress of yesterday or the day before. Fash
ions, of course, have their importance. Still,
whatever clothes it may decide to put on or
take off, and whatever the patterns and tex
ture of these may be, whether it decides to
wear it's tresses towering aloft or trailing be-
low, it's skirts full or scanty, its sleeves tight
or loose, beauty is beauty still.
The drawing-roo1n was rather dlmly
lighted by shaded lamp. Mrs. Bertram,
in dress of dark velvet, with a scarf of
black lace lightly wound about her neck,
sat waiting for the man who had been
knocked down by the carriage. She wait
ed some hours. Then she heard a ring at the
bell The man had not presumed to knock.
He was admitted and shown into the draw
ing-room. He was was very palid, and
there was star formed Of strips of plaster
upon his forehead; but he walked firmly
enough, and seemed, in truth, to be little
worse for the accident.
"I have come," he said his eyes glancing
about the room before they rested on their
mistress. "You expected me, l SUPPOSE"
81 expected you. Were you much hurt"'
"Not much 1t was my own fault. l
was taken by surprise. | recognized you,
and before I had time to recover myself,
somehow, | found myself at your horses
feet. You knew me:"
"Not at first, but did afterward when
saw YOU in the chemists shop. 1t was most
unfortunate" she said with rather an alb
sent air.
"It could not be helped. 1t was an acci-
dent. might have been killed; but as it
happens, | am not much damaged. 1t
would have been better, perhaps, if | had
been killed."
Mrs. Bertram was silent.
81 should have died universally unregret-
ted," her visitor said grimly. "a brief re-
port in the newspapers, an inquest upon the
body of a man unknown accidentally knock
ed down and run over in the streets, pau
per's funeral at the expense OF the parish,
that would have been all. NotanOther word
could have been said on the subject. It's
a pity things won't happen as we would
have them happen"
He waited as though expecting that she
would say something, but She remained ST.
lent.
"You are not glad to see me-" he said
presently.
"Why should l be glad to see you," she
asked in her turn.
"You wish that we we had never metz"
"HeaVen knows l do"
"You thought me dead""
"Indeed l did dead long since"
81 say again"-he laughed bitterly as he
spoke-"It's pity things won't happen as
we would have them happen"
"And now,"s she said, "what is to be done ?
Do you need help at my hands"'
"You are rich, it seems. It's pleasant to
be rich l have had money in my time
and spent it. This is your house; these pref
ty knick-knacks, china and pictures, glass,
gliding and rubbish, all your property?'
cali my property" she repeated wearily.
"You are welcome to it. 1 am not in
want of such things as see about me-"
kINEhnt - II fhnt In want r''
"Suppose | were to say that want you:"
l should not believe you, she answered
"And yet, Gertrude, 1 never saw you
look so handsome as you do to night"
"YOu do not come here to night merely
to pay me idle compliments"
at was no idle compliment if compli-
ments are ever idle. 1t seems to me that
much can be done by means of compliments
skillfully administered. And surely a hus-
band may be permitted to pay compli-,
ment, idle or not, to a wife who he has not
seen for many years, whom he meets at last
most unexpectedly. 1t was hard, though
to be knocked down by your carriage horses
and nearly run over by your wheels. l
shall carry to my grave an ugly scar by way
of memento of the event."
"You describe yourself as my husband,
YOU speak to me as your wife, as though
nothing had occurred in the past to separate
us, to render you as dead to me forever:'
''What can sunder those whom God hath
Joined together?" he asked, with an artifi-
cial air, stretching forth his hand as though
he would grasp hers.
"Don't touch me-" she said sternly.
"You must be strangely forgettul if you
think that we can meet again as though
nothing had happened during the long in
terval of our separation, or have you for
gotten what separated us?''
81 know what separated us. l know
that much has happened since we separated
l have forgotten nothing. For what did
in the past'-
"The crime was committed" she inter
posed.
"Call it crime, if you like )" he continu-
ed, carelessly. "It was an act of justice,
to my thinking. At any rate / held myself
entitled to do what did. l borrowed the
money. l did not steal it. And after all
it was really mine"
"You committed a forgery upon the
Bank of England. There was a sum OF
money invested in bank stock and standing
in the names of trustees in the bank books
You forged the signatures of the trustees
to power of attorney, which enabled you