The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-10-18
Padsfer had exclaimed as she fell weep ing upon Mfr. Maggieby's breast
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
 Mir Gideon Maggieby had been mar ried rasher less than two-and-twenty hours, when a, about nire o'clock in the morning Of March 3. 1868. he walked into the room in whi-h he had so o.ten breakfasted and dined with his late friend and partner. Solomon Pddster. Mir. Maggleby, who vas pre- eminently a man of business, had not seen fl. to go to the Isle ot Wight or to Paris to spend his honeymoon; and Mrs Msggleoy, who was nothing if not woman of sound sense, had ioyally accepted the decision of her third loid and master They had agreed to stay in town. and no, to allo~ their new happiness to interfere with their material interests in Mincing L me
 Mir. Maggleby had determined. however, to make holiday of the day after his
 wedding 10 stay at heme in the morning
 with his wife, to escort her to Madame russaudss in the afternoon, and to take her to the play in the evening.
 i With thIs comfortable programme in his minds eye, M,. Maggleby came ing gown. Mrs. Maggleby, he knew,
 you'd not be many minutes behind him
 and he therefore rang the bell for the coffee, and turned lsz,iy toward the table, upon which lay two piles of letters The smaller heap chiefly consisted of mis- sives addressed to Mrs. Pddster, for the m arriage of the previous day had not as yet b-en noised abroad in the country, and Mrs. Maggieby had several female correspondents who communicated with her much more often than she com nuni- cated with them. The large bundle was made up of letters addressed either to l Mir. Maggleby or to Messrs. Pudster & Maggleby, the letters to the firm having ocen already brought down from Minc- ing Lane oy a confidential clerk
 It was a chilly morning; and Mir Maggleby, with the letters m his hand, sank into an easy chair by the fireside, and then began 10 polish his spectacles. But ere he had come to complete that operation, one envelope attracted the at tention of his not very dlm-sighted eyes. It bore the postmark Plymouth" and was addressed in a familiar handwriting Without waiting to put on his spectecles, Mir. Maggleby seized the envelope and tore it open. For an instant he stared at the letter which it contained; then he turned white. and fell back with a groan. But Mir. Maggleby was a man of con- siderable self-commapd, and he soon partly recovered himself.
 Maria must not sec me in this agitated staie," he murmured, as he rose. "I shall go back 10 my dressing-room, and decide upon some plan of action before l face her.o And with unsteady steps he quilted the dining room, taking with him inc letter that was the cause of his emotion.
 Almost immediately atterward ser want entered with the coffee and some covered dishes. which she set upon the table and no sooner had she withdrawn ;han Mrs. Maggleby appeared. Mrs. Maggleby looked blooming. and was evidently In capital spirits. She caught up her letters, sat down smiling in the very easy chair from which her husband had fisen few minutes earlier, and be- gan to read. The first letters to be opened were, of course, those which were addressed to her in her new name. They contained congratulations upon her mar isge. Then she attacked the envelopes that were addressed to Mrs. Pudster. One contained a bill another contained a re- quest for Mrs. Pudster's vote and interest on behalf of Tabitha Cabbles, a maiden lady who was seeking admission in the Home for the Daughters of Decayed Trinity Pilots: and a third brought a Autograph letter from the marquis of Palmyra, imploring the recipient to make some small subscription to the funds of l the Association for the Encouragement of Asparagus Culture in the Scilly islands. There were also letters from Miss Martha rigstade and Mrs. Benjamin Bowery, dealing with nothing in particular and everything in general; and finally there vas letter bearing the postmark" Ply nouth." Mrs. Maggleby opened it care
 essly; but single glance at its contents caused her to start up, grasping convul- ,ively at the mantlepiece, utter an ex- -lamation. and tremble like leaf
 Poor Gideon!" she said. "What a fearful blow! He mustn't see me in this 4gitated state. shall go up stairs again, aud decide upon some plan of action be lore face him. And Mrs. Maggleby, letter in hand and pale as death, quilted the room, leaving the coffee and the eggs md bacon and the crumpets to get cola Three quarters of an hour later Mir Maggleby ventured down stairs again He was dressed as if to go to the city, and in his hand he held letter which pore the simple address, Mara" This letter he laid upon his wife's plate. It vas worded as fsllows:
 My DEAREST LIFE; 1 am suddenly and unexpectedly summoned to Mincing Lane on business of the greatest importance. do not know exactly when l shall return, but you must not be anxious. Yours devotediy
 GIDEON. Mir. Maggleby hastily seized a tepid orumpct. and without the formallty of seating himself at the table, devoured the clammy dainty. Then, hearing his wife upon the stairs, he rushed like a mad man from the room, and an instant after ward left the house and quietly closed the front door behind him.
 Mrs. Maggleby, whose face bore traces