Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-01

take Maurice into their confidence, his
anger broke loose, and Gerald's handsome
gypsy face became trAnsfgured with pas
sion. It was an awful revelation, that out
burst of wrath, to the poor wife. For the
first time she discovered what a volcano of
tempestuous passions lurked beneath his
-debonuair exterior which she had never sus-
pected, and fear blended with her love for
him. She resolved never to allude to the
subject again, but to wait and bide bis time
for making the disclosure for which poor
Netta's heart ached.
"Let us have no more of this,' Gerald
exclaimed, passionately, clenchlng his de-
mand with a loud oath that fell with terri
flying effect on the ear of the loving-hearted
woman. "TheY shall know in good time.
And remember that if you ever show your
face in Great Chester street, you will rue it
to the last day OF your life. That would
mean ruin for us BOTH"
Meta had one other cross at this time.
Latour's visits home had latterly become
less frequent than she had known them.
The premises in Great Chester street con-
tanned one small sitting room and a bed
chamber, which Gerald had occupied In his
bachelor days, and which he occasionally
used after his marriage, pleading the neces-
stiles of his business when he failed to re-
than before Latour began absenting himself
from the cottage at Willesden, always con-
irving, however, to hinder suspicion from
springing into Netta's mind by affirming
that business was going to the dogs, and
he must stay in town and work late.
1t was true that Gerald Latour's business
was, as he pithily expressed it, "going to the
dogs !" partly on account OF Latour's mat
tention to his affairs, and partly from the
withdrawal of large sums Of money from
the concern, which he took to indulge in
his gambling propensities. The evenings
that he spent away from the cottage at
Willesden were passed either in gambling
hell or in sighing at the feet of Helen Mar
chant, and breathing love vows in her ear.
Sometimes, too, in more shameful occupa-
tions which would have broken Netta's
heart if the good had not been kind to her,
and hidden Gerald's midnight revels from
Netta's eyes.
An accident revealed to Meta how hollow
the ground was on which she was standing.
She was engaged in brushing a coat which
her husband had been wearing, and on turn
ing out the pockets, discovered bulky let
ter written in remarkably clear and firm
hand, indisputably the handwriting of a
woman, as her first glance told her. A sick
ening sense of fear crept into Netta's heart
as she turned over the letter again and again
in her hand. But her face flushed hot with
anger, and her fine nostrils dilated with
wounded pride, as her breath came quicker
at the unexpected revelation of her hus-
bands perfdy which the letter contained.
Her husband? It was not clear to her
that Gerald Latour was her husband, and
that she was an honest wife, when she had
had time to master the contents of the
letter. The communication, which bore the
signature of Helen Marchant, was filed
with the warm outpouring of q woman's
heart-spoke of her coming marriage with
Gerald Latour, and described the prepara-
tions she was engaged in making for the
great event in her life.
Utterly overwhelmed by the discovery.
Meta remained a long time in abiect
misery, too numbed to feel, too dazed to
think. Bit by bit the suspicion grew in her
mind that she had been shamefnlly de-
ceived by bogus marriage. There was one
other alternative-that her husband, relying
on her continued silence as to their secret
marriage, was bent on trlcking mis- cousin
into a marriage that was no marriage if her
own was a valid one. When this grew clear
to her she reused herself out of the state of
apathy and fearless misery into which she
had fallen, to think out and decide what
to do.
The revelation had Killed at stroke the
guileless simplicity and girlish confidence
which had characterized all her previous re-
lationship with her husband. She was
girl no longer, to be silenced with kisses or
to be put down with display OF unseemly
anger. She sprang into existence in an
hour-a womani-a woman scorned and
wrongedl-a woman who had her own rights
as wife to defend, and the legitimacy Of
her offspring to make good-if she couldl
1t seemed to her as if years had passed since
her dream of security was so rudely shaken,
and that she had redoubled her thinking
powers in the brief interval which had
elapsed.
How was she to set about her task9 Ger
aid had often spoken of his cousin Helen to
Meta, and bits Of bygone conversation re-
CURED to her memory now. Putting these