Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-23
Countess NarOla.
 By wILKIE COLLINS.
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III.
 There was a time when man in search of the pleasures of gossip sought the society of ladies' The man knows better now. He goes to the smoking room of his club.
 Dr. Wybrow lighted his cigar and looked round him at his brethren in social conclave assembled. The room was we'll filled, but the flow of talk was still languid. Tie doctor innocently applied the stmulant that was wanted. When he inquired if anybody knew the Countess Narona he was answered by something like 8 shout of astonshment. Never (the conclave agreed had such an ab- surd question been asked beforel Every human creature, with the slightest claim to a place in society, knew the Countess Narona. An adventures wi b European reputation of the blackest possible color-such was the general description of the woman with the death like complexion and the glittering eyes
 Descending to particulars, each member of the club contributed his own little stock of scandal to the memoirs of the count ss It was doubtful whether she was really what she called herself, Dalmatian lady. It was doubtful whether she had ever been married to the count whose widow she assumed to be, It was doubtful whether the man who ac- companied her in her travels (under the name of Baron Rivar, and in the character of her brothe) was her brother at all Report pointed to the baron as gambler at every "table" on the continent. Report whispered that his so called sister had narrowly escaped being implicated in famous trial for poison ing at Vienna-that s!,e had been known as aSspy in the interest of Austria-that her apartment" ill Paris had been denounced to the police as nothing less than private gam bling house-and that her present appearance in England was the natural result of that discovery. Only one member of the assem- bly, in the smoking room took the part of this much abused woman and declared that her character had been most cruelty and most unjustly assailed. But as the man was & lawyer, his interference went for nothing; it was naturally attributed to the spirit of con- tradiction inherent ill his profession He was asked derisivey what he thought of the cir cumstances under which the countess had be- come engaged to be married, and he made the characteristic answer, that he thought the circumstances highly creditable to both parties, and that he looked the lady's fu- ture husband as most enviable man.
 Hearing this the doctor raised another shout of astonishment by inquiring the name of the gentleman whom the countess was about to marry.
 His friends in the smoking room decided unanimously that the celebrated physician must be a second ''Rip Van Winkle,n and that he had just awakened from a super- natural sleep of twenty years. It was all very we'll to say that he was devoted to his profess sion, and that he had neither time nor incli- nation to pick up fragments of gossip at din ner parties and balls. A man who did not know that the Countess Narona had borro wed ,J,,rr rof,, Lord Montbarry, and had then deluded him into making her a proposal of marriage was man who had probably never heard of Lord Montbarry himself. The younger members of the club, humoring the joke, sent waiter for The Peers.ge. and read aloud the memoir of the nobleman ill question, for the doctors benefit-with illustrative morsels of informa- tion interpolated by themselves
 "Herbert John Westwick. First Baron Montbarry, of Montbarry, Kings county, Ireland. Created peer for distinguished military services in India. Forty eight years old, doctor at the present time. Not married Will be married next week, doctor, to the delightful creature we have been talking about. Heir presumptive, his lordship's next brother, Stephen Robert, married to Ella, youngest daughter of the Rev. Silas Warden, rector of Runnigate and
 
 of his lordship, Francis and Henry, unmar- ried. Sisters of his lordship, Lady Barville. married to Sir Theodore Barville, Bart, and Anne, widow of the late Peter Norbury, Esq.,, of Norbury Cross. Bear his lordships relations we'll in mind, doctor. Three broth CTS Westwick, Stephen, Francis and Henry. and two sisters, Lady Barville and Mrs. Nor | bury. Not one of the five will be present at tue marriage, and not one of the five will leave a stone unturned to stop it if the count ess will only give them chance. Add to these hostile members of the family another offended relative not mentioned in The Peer age. young lady"-
 1 A sudden outburst of protest in more than one part of the room stopped the coming dis closure and released the doctor from further persecution.
 Don't mention the poor girl S name; it's too bad to make joke of that part of the business; she has behaved nobly under shame full provocation; there is but one excuse fol Montbarry-he is either a madnlan or fool. In these terms the protest expressed itself or all sides. Speaking confidentially to his nex neighbor, the doctor discovered that the lady referred to was already known to hin l (through the countess confession) as the lady deserted by Lord Montbarry. Her name wa. l ASucS LOChWOOu. OuS was ueSCIlDcu d' being the superior of the countess in persona attraction, and as being also by some year. the younger woman of the two. Making al allowance for the follies that men committed | every day in their relations with women Montbarry's deluson was still the most mon | strous deluson on record. In this expression of opinion every man present agreed-th, lawyer even included Not one of then could call to mind the innumerable instance in which the sexual influence has proved ire sistible ill the persons of women without ever the pretension to beauty. The very member, of the club whom the countess Gin spite of he personal disadvantages) could have mos easily fascinated, if she had thought it wortl her while, were tue members who wondered most loudly at Montbarry's choice of wife
 While the topic of the countess marriag was still the one topic of conversation, member of the club entered the smokin, room, whose appearance instantly produce, dead silence. Dr. Wybrow's next neighbo
 whispered to him, "Montbarry's brother Henry Westwick."
 The new conner looked around him slowly
 with a bitter smile
 "You are talking of my brother" he said Don't mind me. Not one of you can despis
 him more heartily than I do. Go on, gentle men-go on!"
 But one man present took the speaker a | his word. That man was the lawyer wh