Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-28

the matter. will take all the trouble,
make the arrangements, bear all the ex-
pense. 1t will be necessary for one Of
us to go to Illinois and see these lawyers,
if the divorce is to be gotten there,
1t may be necessary to undergo
short residence in the state in
order TO simulate citizenship and make
the divorce legal. I'll find out about
this, and If it's necessary ! will do it.
After the divorce I'll allow you the use
of this house and q sufficient income to
support it. and also the custody of our
son us long as you remain unmarried
In return you must waive all right to
the boy for the years you can legally
claim him, and must bind yourself to
surrender him to me, or any person |
appoint, at least a month before any
such marriage, and never, by word or
act, to interfere in his future life or any
disposition may think best to make Of
him. I should also strongly object to
any future marriage taking place from
my house and should expect legal notice
in ample time to make arrangements
about the boy"
would you allow me to see the child
whenever wishedP'
Certainly. I'm no brute, and you
are his mother. shall only stipulate
that the meetings take place in some
other house than yours. You are at
liberty to visit him as often as you like,
80 long as You are faithful to our agree
ment and leave his mind unbiased.
will never mention you unkindly to
him, and shall expect the same consid-
Grafton from you. When he is old
enough to judge between US he will de-
eide as he thinks right"
Suppose you marry again, yourself.
What about the child then? You are
very hard and uncompromising in your
dictation to me, Nesbit: but can have
feelings and scruples as well as you"
Thorne was startled. He considered
that he was behaving well to his wife.
He wanted to behave well to her; to let
the past so generously, SO that no shadow
of reproach from it might fall upon the
future. Her tart suggestion set the af-
fair in a new light. 1t was an unpleas-
ant light and he turned his back on it,
thinking that by so doing he disposed of
it. There was the distance of the two
poles between Pocahontas Mason and
Cecil Cumberland. He surely was the
best judge of what would conduce to the
welfare of his son.
1--WE were discussing the probability
of your remarriage, not Inine," he re-
sponded coldly; 1.-The reports in circula-
ton have reached even me at last"
"What reportsy" with defiant inquiry
"That you are seeking freedom from
your allegiance to one man in order to
swear fealty to another. That your VOWS
to me are irksolne because they prevent
your taking other vows to Cecil Cumber-
land. Ipass over the moral aspect of the
affair; that must rest with your own con-
science" lit was astonishing how exem-
plary Thorne felt in administering the
rebuke); "that rests with your con-
SCIENCE" he repeated, land with that
such reports-which lays your conduct
as married woman open to censure-
gives me the right to dictate the terms
Of our legal separation. I'm obliged to
speak plainly, Ethel. You brought about
the issue and must abide by the conse-
Quences. I've stated my terms, and it's
for you to accept or decline them"
Thorne leaned back in his chair and
watched the flames eat into the heart of
the hickory logs. He had no doubt of
her decision, but he awaited it courte-
ouslv. The broken log had burned COM
pletely away, and little heap of Witty
gray ashes lay on each side of i. the
i hearth.
Ethel sat and pondered, weighing at
full value all the advantages and disad-
vantages of the proposal and decided
that the former outweighed the latter.
The object on which she was bent-the
thing which appeared the greatest earth
ly good, was the divorce. At any cost
she would obtain that, and obtain it as
quickly and quietly as possible; no talk,
no exposure. no disagreeable comments.
This was tie main point, and to carry
it Ethel Thorne felt herself capable OF
more than the surrender of one small
child. The separation, at worst, would
only be partial; she could see the boy
every day if she wished-even after heI
marriage with Cecil Cumberland. Nesbit
had promised, and in all her experience
of him she had never known him to breaA
his word. Then she could retain the lit
tie fellow until all these troublesome
affairs should be settled. which would
disarm criticism and save appearances
and appearances must be preserved or
account of the Cumberlands.
That a divorced daughter-in-lav
would be none too welcome in tina
stately, old fashioned family. Mrs
Thorne was well aware. Perhaps i
would be as we'll to be unhampered b.
such forcible reminder of her forme
state as the child. while she was winuin:
the Cumberland heart and softening tn
Cumberland prejudice. Cecil, she knew
already, regarded the baby with scan
favor, and would be unfeignedly re
joiced to be quit of him. On the whole
Nesbit was behaving we'll to her. Sh
had expected far more difficulty. infinite
ly more bitterness, for, like the world
she gave her husband credit for tn
scrunles of his fathers faith. Her hear