Connecticut western news., 1889-08-28
as you will find to

l
 qe e!ssss ssesosss ' as you will find to your cost. For, when you begin to know her better, you will discover what sort of woman it is with whom you have entangled yourself. Then you'll want to back out of the engage ment. Of course, Miss Gladys will not hear of such thing, and you will have to either marry her and ruin your life, or else to face 'breach of prom ise,' have all your spooney letters read, and all your folly laid bare for the de- lectation of scoffing, public, to say nothing of being mulcted in twenty thousand or SO. My dear fellow, is the game worth the candle2"
 '''Tis useless for you to talk, Bar ing. mean to put my fate with Gladys Dalton to the touch tomorrow"
 "Well," replied Barring, as they pulled up at the door of Lord Winter bourne's house in Grosvenor square, "I'l leave you to your own medita- tions, my dear fellow. But, for heav- ems sake try to realize what an infatu- ated idiot you are making yourself!"
 There is reason to believe that Wis., count Winterbourne did not profit by his friends parting advice. For at 3 o'clock on the following afternoon his cab drew up at 1901 Grafton street, the residence of Miss Gladys Dalton. She was at home, and he was ushered into her presence. As he glanced round the drawing room he was relieved to find that his charmer was quite alone, that not even her mother was present; and he felt still more relieved when, in answer to his inquiries after the old lady, Gladys told him that she was suf- fering from neuralgia, and forced to keep her room.
 But though he had come with the full intention of doing the desperate deed, and fortune had thus favored him with tete-a-tete interview, it was some time before he could screw up his courage to the necessary peint.
 At length, however, after some 10 minutes commonplace talk, he broke through his reserve, declared his pas sion in 8 string of ardent words, and laid his hand and fortune at Gladys Dalton's feet.
 A little cry escaped her lips; and drawing away the hand which he had tried to take, she rose and stood con- fronting him. -
 "Do I understand, my Lord," she said, "that you offer me marriage??'
 "By heaven, dol" he cried, eager ly. 'tI will make you the greatest lady in the land!"
 The expression of her face softened, and into her eyes came look that spoke of pain. Then she appeared to make sudden resolve.
 "My Lord," she said, "you are an honorable man, and will wrong you no further. I am about to confess to you what would confess to no one else alive. You will respect my secret?"
 "Before heaven, I will!" he an- swered. q.
 "Listen, then," she began, "you must forget, Lord Winterbourne, that you ever cared for me. am married already!" .~. Married!" he cried despairingly. ''To whom? Why did you not tell me this before?"
 "I have not told you before," she answered, ''for the same reason which now makes me pledge you to secrecy. And l should not have told now, were it not that the words which you have spoken have touched my heart, and made me resolve that, however may continue to treat the rest, I will wrong | you no more!" l "Your secret shall be as safe with me as with the dead" he returned.
 sI am confident of it, Lord Winter. bourne! People say of me-do they not?-that I am grasping, avaricious woman, whose only object is to extor1 valuable gifts of jewelry from my ad mirers!"
 s'Let people tell what lies they please" he answered, Git makes nc difference to me. know you better than they dol" .-
 "Pardon me, Lord Winterbourne but fear you do not know me SO well What they say of me is quite true."
 "What do you mean?' he cried.
 'I mean," she answered, looking straight at him, and never finching fol an instant, E'that my sole object is tt extort valuable presents from my ad mirers."
 He gazed at her in astonishment the calm manner in which she mad' this confession bereft him of all powe of speech. .+ "People also say," she went on ''that I part with my jewels fo money. In that they speak less COT . rectly. I cannot sell them; I giv them to my husband and he sell
 them!"
 l .'Who, then, is this mean scoundre who sponges on you in SO disgracefu