The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-29


broke my father; he was ruined over those
villas I've always hated the sight of a villa
ever since, Mr. Bingham. And shortly after
wards he died, as near bankruptcy as a mans
nose is to his mouth.
"After that was offered this living, ESQ
a year it was at the best, and, like fool, l
took it. The old parson who was here bfore
me left an only daughter behind him. The
living had ruined him, as it ruins me, and, as
say, he left his daughter, my wife that was,
behind him, and pretty good bill for dilapi
dations l had against the estate. But there
wasn't any estate, so | made the best of a bad
business and married the daughter and a
sweet, pretty woman she was, poor dear, very
like my Beatrice, only without the brains. 1
can't make out where Beatrice's brains come
from, indeed, for Pm sure don't set up for
having any. She was well born, too, my
wife was, of an old Cornish family, but she
had nowhere to go to, and l think she mar
ried me because she didn't know what else to
do and was fond of the old place. She took
me ON with it, as it were. Well, it turned
out pretty well till some eleven years ago,
when our boy was born, though l don't think
we ever quite understood each other. She
never got her health back after that, and
seven years ago she died. ] remember it was
on a night wonderfully like last night-mist
first. then storm. The boy died q few years
afterwards. thought it would have broken
Beatrices heart; she's never been the same
girl since, but always full of queer ideas
don't pretend to follow
And as for the life I've had of it here, Mr.
Bingham, you wouldn't believe it if l was to
tell you The living is small enough, but the
place is as full of dissent as mackerel boat of
fish, and as for getting the tithes-well, l
can't, that's all. If it wasn't for a bit OF
| farming that l do, not but what the prices
are down to nothing, and for what the visi-
tors give in the season, and for the help of
Beatrice's salary as certificated mistress, |
should have been in the poor house long ago,
and shall be yet, often tbtRk. I've had to
take in q boarder before now to make both
ends meet, and shall again, 1 expect.
''And now l must be of up to my bit of a
farm; the old sow is due to litter, and want
to see how she is getting on. Please God she'll
have thirteen again and do well. I'll order
.he fly to be here at 5, though shall be back
before then-that is, l told Elizabeth to do
so. She's gone out to 10 some visiting for
me, and to see if she can't get in two pound
If anybody can get it it's Elizabeth. Well,
good-by; if you are dull and want to talk to
Beatrice, she's up and in there. I dare say
you'll suit one another. She's a very queer
girl, Beatrice, quite beyond me with her ideas,
and it was funny thing her holding you SO
tight, but Isuppose providence arranged that.
Good-by for the present." and this curious
specimen of a clergyman vanished, leaving
Godfrey quite breathless.
1t was half-past g and the doctor had told
him that he could see Miss Granger at 3. He
wished that it was 8, for he WIS tired of his
own thoughts and company, and naturally
anxious to renew his acquaintance with the
strange girl who had begun nv impressine
him so deeply and ended by saving his life
There was complete quiet in the house; Betty
the maid e. all work, was employed in the
kitchen, both the doctors had gone and Eliza
beth and her father were out. Today there
wasno wind, it had blown itself away during
the night, and the sight of the sunbeam
streaming through the windows made Geof
frey long to be in the open air. He hat
no book at hand to read, and whenever h,
trie; to think his mind flew back to that hate
full matrimonial quarrel.
1t was hard on him, he thought, that b.
should be called upon to endure such scenes
He could no longer disguise the truth from
himself-he had buried his happiness on hi
wedding day Looking back across the year
he well remembered how different life he hat
imagined for himself In those DAYS he wa
tired of knocking about and of youthful eSca
pades; even that kind of social success whic
must attend young man who was hand
some, clever, q good fellow, and blessed wit
large expectations had, at the age of six an
twenty, entirely lost its attractiveneSs. There
fore he had turned no deaf ear to his uncle
Sir Robert Bingham, who was then going o
for 20, when he suggested that it Nigh
be well if Godfrey settled down, AL
introduced him to Lady Honoria. Lad
. Honoria was IS then, and a beaut
of the rather thin but statuesque TYPE
which attracts men up to five or six an
twenty, and then bores if it does not rept
} them. Moreover, she was clever and we
read, and pretended to be intellectually an
l POLITICALLY inclined, as ladies not special
l favored by Apollo sometimes do-before the
u marry. Cold she always was; nobody eve
! heard of Lady Honoria stretching the bound
= of propriety, but he put this down to q swee
Il and becoming modesty, which would wants
fected a charming innocence of all yulgt
business matters, which both deceived an
enchanted him. Never but once did she a
U lude to ways and means before marriage, an
then it was to say that she was glad that the
V should be so poor till dear Sir Robert died q
had promised to allow them fifteen hundre
year and they had seven more betwee
$ them, as this would enable them to see
81 much more of each other
At last came the happy day and this viii
e virgin soul passed into his keeping. For
y week or so things went fairly well, and the
} disenchantment began. He learned by slo
u but sure degrees that his wife was vain, sci
ish and extravaganza, and, worst of all, TIL
10 she cared very little about him. The fir
u shock was when he accidentally discovers
four OF five days after marriage, that H
noria was intimately acquainted with ever
II detail of Sir Robert Bingham's propert
4 and, young as she was, had already formed
III scheme to make it more productive after Il
old mans death.
They went to live in London, and there
found that Lady Honoria, although by f
too cold and prudent woman to do an
thing that could bring breath of scandal
her name was as fond of admiration as S
was heartless. 1t seemed to him that
:. could never be free from the collection
/: young men who hung about her skirts Sol
! of them were very good fellows whom
liked exceedingly; still, on the whole,
< would have preferred to remain unmarri
and 20 associate with them at the club. Al
z the continual round of society and going Q
brought heavier expenses on him than
I could well support And thus, little by lit
/ poor Geoffrey's dream of matrimonial bl
4 faded into thin air But, fortunately t