Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-20

Honoria had the best of the position; de-
cidedly, also, she spoke words of weight and
common sense.
Whatwas to be done? Was there no way
out Of it? Ali that night as Godfrey sat in
the House. his arms folded on his breast and
to appearance intently listening to the long
harangues OF the Opposition, this question
haunted him. He argued the situation out
this way and that way, till at last he came
to a conclusion. Either he must wait for
the scandal to leak out, let Beatrice be
ruined and direct his efforts to the softening
of Honoria, and generally to self-preserva-
ton, or he must take the bull by the horns,
must abandon his great career and mis-
country and seek refuge in another land, say
America, taking Beatrice and Efie with
him. Once the child was out of the jurls-
diction, of course no court could force her
from him.
OF the two courses, even in so far as he
himself was concerned, what between the
urgency of the matter and the unceasing
pressure of his passion, Geoffrey inclined to
the latter. The relations between himself
and Honoria had for years been so strained,
so totally different from those which should
exist between man and wife, that they
greatly mitigated in his mind the apparent
iniquity OF such step. Nor would he feel
much compunction at removing the child
from her mother, for there was no love lost
between the two, and as time went on he
shrewdly guessed there would be less and
less. For the rest be had some Eli, 600 in
hand; he would take half and leave Honoria
half. He knew that he could always earn
q living wherever be went, and probably
much more than living, and of whatever
he earned a strict moiety should be paid to
Honoria. But first and above everything
there was Beatrice to be considered. She
must be saved even if he ruined himself to
save her.
Lady Honoria, it is scarcely necessary to
saw, had little idea that she was driving her
husband to such dangerous and determined
councils. She wanted to frighten Godfrey,
not TO lose him and all he meant TO her; this
was the last thing that she would wish to do.
She did not greatly care about the Beatrice
incident, but her shrewd common sense told
her that it might we'll be used as an engine
to ruin them all. Therefore she spoke as
she did speak, though in reality matters
would have to be bad indeed before she
sought the aid of a court of law, where manv
things concerning herself might come to the
light of day which she would prefer to leave
in darkness.
Nor did she stop here; she determined to
attack Geoffrey's position in another way
namely, through Beatrice herself For a
long time Honoria hesitated as to the method
OF this attack. She had some knowledge of
the world and of character, and from what
she knew of Beatrice she came to the sound
conclusion that she was not a woman to be
threatened, but rather one to be appealed
to. So after much thought she wrote to her
thus:
"a story, which 1 still hesitate to believe,
has come to me by means of anonymous let
tiers as to your conduct with my husband.
/ do not Gish TO repeat iC now, further than
to say that, if true, it establishes circum-
stances which leave no doubt as to the exist
ence of relations so intimate between YOU as
70 amount to guilt 1t may not be true or it
NAV, in which latter event want to saw
this: With your morality have nothing to
do; it is your affair. Nor do l wish to plead
to YOU as an in ured vile or to reproach |
you, for there are things too wicked for
mere reproach. But 1 will say this: II |
the story is true I must presume that |
you have some affection for the part |
ner of your shame. 1 put myself |
out of the question, and in the name of that |
affection, however guilty it may be, ask |
you to push matters no further. To do so |
will be to bring its object to utter ruin. If |
you care for him, sever all connection with |
him utterly and forever. Otherwise be will |
live to curse and hate you. Should you
neglect this advice, and should the facts
that have heard become public property,
] warn you, as L have already warned him,
that shall be forced, in selEpreservation
and for the sake of self-respect, to appeal to
the law for my remedy. Remember that his
career is at stake, and that in losing it and |
me he will also lose his child. Remember |
that if this comes about it will be through |
you. Do not answer this, il will do no
good, for / shall naturally put no faith in
your protestations, but if you are in any
wav or measure guilty of this offense, ap-
pealing to YOU as one woman to another,
ana 1or the sake of the man who is dear to
both, say do your best to redeem the evil
bv making all further communications be- |
tween yourself and him an impossibility.
H.B."
1t was clever letter; Lady Honoria could
not have devised one more powerful to work
on a woman like Beatrice. The same post
that took it TO her took another ffom Geof-
rev himself 1t was long though guarded,
and need not be quoted in its entirety, but
it put the whole position before her in
somewhat veiied language, and ended by
saying, Marriage l cannot give you, only
lifelong love. In other circumstances to
offer this would be an insult, but if things
should be as L fear, it is worth your consid-
Grafton. L do not say to you come, say
come ii you wish. No, Beatrice, will not
put this cruel burden of decision upon you.
/ say come! do not command you to come
because L promised to leave you unin-
fuenced. But / pray you to do SO. Let us /
put an end to this wretchedness, and count
the world we'll lost at our price of love-
Come, dearest Beatrice-to leave me no more
till death. 1 put my life in your hands; if
you take it up, whatever trouble you may
have to face, you will never lose my affec-
tion or esteem. Do not think OF me; think of |
yourself You have given me your love as
you once gave me my life. / owe
something in return; I cannot see you
shamed and make no offer of repa-
ration. Indeed, SO far as 1 am
concerned, 1 shall think all 1 lose as
nothing compared to what 1 gain in gaining
you. VIII you come? If so. we will leave
this country and begin airesh elsewhere.
After all, it matters little, and will matter
less when everything is said and done. Life |
for me has hitherto been but as an unwhole-
sore dream. The one real thing, the one
happy thing, that 1 have found in it has
been our love. Do not let US throw it away,
Beatrice"
By return of post he received this answer
written in pencil:
''No, dear Geofrey. Things must take
their course.-B."
That was all.
CHAPTER XIV.