The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-06-16

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reflected, as he stood with his back to the
window; ''but it is true that [ have grown
a tolerably big beard since [ went away,
and that have become considerably tann-
ed. However, the beard ought to make
no great difference. [ suppose that she
would know me if she saw me in my shirt
sleeves, or with both legs cut off at the
knees. On the other hand, she thinks that
[ am still at Calcutta, for she must have
had my last letter this morning. [ hope
my sudden appearance here won't upset
her. | must be careful"
Here his thoughts were switched aside
by the unmistakable sound of rustlins
skirts in the passage without; and as the
door opened he involuntarily turned and
eazed into the garden, at the same time
coughing nervously
MAY l offer you chair? [ am afraid
that you find the open window too much
for you, said soft voice behind him.
"Oh, no; not at all !" he returned, facing
his wife for an instant, and then hastily
resuming his survey of the garden.
Mrs. Bilbury did not in the least recog-
nizc her husband 'tDo let me order fire
to be lighted p she urged
"Oh, no; not for the world = calculated
Tom, as he turned slowly round, conscious
at last that even his nervousness was no
excuse for his rudeness. "But the fact is,
Mrs.
"My name is Mrs. Bilbury!"
"Oh thank you-yes! The fact is,
Mrs. Bilbury, that | AIN not yet entirely
reconciled to this abominable English eli
mate. I-th-that is to say, a man who
has existed in groves of mingo-ah-and
has lived on curry and chutnoc-ah-with
the thermometer standing doggedly at a
hundred and two in the shade, is-ah; but
[ dare say you understand "
ooh, perfectly, Mr.. -, think [ have
not the pleasure of knowing your name
"WhO am II" thought Mr.. Thomas
Bilbury. "My name," he said, after Il
slight pause, lis Tilbury."
"What a curious similarity" said his
wife. eyes, [ can readily believe that
people coming home from India find this
climate very trying at first, even in summer
My husband writes that the heat at Cal
cutta has been excessive. Possibly, Mr.
Tilbury, you may have called to give me
some news of him? | hope so. thought
that his last letter was not written in very
good spirits. y
'That is satisfactory" thought Mr.. Bill
bury. ''The lapse of two years has not al
tered her love for me-
eyes" he said, aloud; II can give you
some news of him, for month ago | was
at Calcutta"
Indeed? How delightful! Do sit
down, Mr. Tilbury. 1t is very pleasant to
meet anyone who has seen my husband so
recently, for gather from what you say
that you have seen him. How is he p
Mr.. Bilbury was by this time much ex
ercised in his mind as to what to say next.
On the other hand, he was afraid to declare
himself for fear of frightening his wife;
on the other, he rather enjoyed the situa-
ton. He therefore determined for the
present to retain his incognito.
"He was," he said with deliberate hesi-
tation, ''as we'll as could be expected
GAS well as could be expected p repeated
Mrs. Bilbury, with alarm, "Do you mean
that he has been i'll p
"Well, not exactly ill, prevaricated Tom,
who had not yet quite made up his mind
as to what he should do.
''But [ do not understand you. Tell me,
please What has happened to him ?"
Mr.. Bilbury wondered what the end
would be- He heartily wished that his
wife would recognize him and settle the
difficulty by throwing her arms around his
neck.
Nothing very serious, he said. II
dare say he has told you that he has be-
come very fond of tiger shooting?"
"Ah, tigers! Tell me, Mr.. Tilbury, tell
me y
"Well, he went out tiger shooting one
day as usual-ah-he was accompanied
only by his servant. They entered the
jungle. Suddenly and without warning a
huge female tiger sprang upon your hus
band and bore him to the earth. The
native fled for assistance; help arrived,
and the victim was found faint from the
loss of blood, with his right arm torn out
at the socket, his left eye destroyed and the
calf of his left leg-ah- deeply scored by
the cruel claws of the ferocious monster"
"Dear me, how alarming!' p commented
Mrs. Bilbury; and the exclamations seemed
so out of proportion to the gravity of the
story that Mr.. Bilbury felt seriously disap-
pointed. ''That fully accounts" continued
Lydia, ''for his bad spirits. His right
arm
eyes, torn out of the socket, Mrs Bill
bury. He has learned to write with his
left hand
"Ah dreadful! And his left eye de-
stroyed?"
eyes, he wears a glass eye, poor fellow"
at must be agony. And the calf of his
leg deeply scared by the cruel claws of the
ferocious monster! Terrible misfortune
And when you left him, Mr.. Tlbury, how
was he? Will he survive?''
A new light seemed to break in upon
Mr.. Bilbury. Did his wife want him to
survive? He felt by no means sure of it.
"It is impossible to say with certainty"
he said; "but you must hope for the best.
Let me beg of you, my dear Mrs. Bilbury,
to keep up your spirits. "
"Oh, Mr.. Tlbury, don't see why 1
should be miserable There is no pleasant
society in Richmond; and you know there
are as good fish in the sea as ever came
out of it.
Toms worst suspicious were by this
time more than confirmed. 'The heartless
woman! p he thought. 'This is how she
receives the news of my being mangled
and disfgured" But still unwilling to
give up hope, he continued aloud: "Poor
fellow [ assure you that in his delirium
your name was very often on his lips"
"Indeed! Then he had not forgotten me- -
Forgotten you?" repeated Tom, his
feelings for an instant getting the better Of
him. "Oh, no [ think that it is the lot
of but few women to have husband so
utterly devoted to her.