The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-30
CHAPTER H.


people said. and II hundreds of presents
heaps Of friends and beautiful clothes
could make a marriage q success OURS
ought 10 have turned out brighter than
the best
we Travelled abroad for some time. but
we had not been away fortnight before
I found out the true character q the man
whose name 7 bore
Coarse. sensual dishonoraole. are only
few Of his attributes Before ] had
beer his wife three weeks he had struck
me In a nj OF drunkenness. Do not think
me hateful for painting such picture
Il was no secret TO the world, but not
from anything which I tod 10 anyone.
wished 10 keep my skeleton safely at
home. but even this was taken from me.
Nv husband would so TO the clubs, rave
like a mailman and abuse me. his wife,
TO the men he met there. on our return
to England he was seldom sober after 3
O'Clock in the evening. He insisted on
accepting all the invitations that the
world is ever ready 10 shower upon the
rich. and he would drag me to balls and
great parties when he was scarcely able
10 walk across our own drawing room
without Keeling.
If refused to go with him he would
threaten me violence, and I knew his
threats were not always TO be despised
But meanwhile Gladys was happy. In
all my suffering there was still that pleas
ure TO think Of She was with my aunt,
and / was able TO take her out driving
with me and give her little treats that
brought the color TO her face and the
sparkle in her eye. So far, at least, my
marriage had brought with It the chief
end upon which all my hopes were based.
so time went on. At the end of two
years my husband took It into his head
that he would like to travel / begged
him to leave me at home, but he only
sooffed and limited that some base reason
was at the bottom Of my wishing to stay.
Gladys is my chief reason I an
swered I do not like TO go away and
leave her for so many months
We can obviate that. madam he
said, by taking your sister with US
I got up and went towards him i'm
pulsively. on, Bob. do you really mean
what you say? How can / thank you?
How very. very kind OF you
" For GOD sake no heroicsH was his
reply. You'd better keep them for big
ger fool than mel" And he left the room,
banging the door behind him.
4 sat where he had left me, thinking
over my life and all its wretchedness, for
hours. 1 had done my best 10 lead my
husband Alright. II l could have made
him different through any personal sacri-
fice / would gladly have made it. In the
early days of our married life l had tried
TO work on his love for me to influence
him in the right direction, but my efforts
all ended in failure. And now, when even
his love for me had waned, as all love of
that kind does, had nothing to help me
nothing at all.
But I looked upon this new idea of his,
TO travel abroad in other countries. as
drowning man is said to look on straw.
I thought that perhaps when we were
once away from the hateful influences
surrounding him in London 1 might ge,
back some OF my old power over him-I
might make his love for me and my beauty
return again. At any rate, l would try.
80 we started on our journey. We were
TO be away a year or more, and see as
much of the world as we could during that
time. Gladys accompanied us, and her de-
light was unbounded at everything new
and strange. She recovered her health,
and grew fast. She was always a little
delicate thing, but warm climates and
sunny skies made her strong, and every
day she grew better-looking. We went
TO America first, and then to India. My
husband had intended to stay only a short
time there, but in the end he became SO
enchanted with the life that he arranged
to spend the entire winter in Bengal. He
took a house in one of the smaller sta
tions, where there was wonderful shooting
to be got, and we made all arrangements
for a long stay there. N was a very
quiet place, and the other European in
habitants were few. There was a Judge.
and an engineer, and their assistants, and
there were a few planters in the imme-
diate neighborhood. There was also a de-
tachment of a regiment under the COM
mand of a Capt Neville. These were our
neighbors, and of course we got to know
them all very well before we had been
many weeks in the place. Meanwhile my
husbands behaviour to me had never al
tered. In fact, I sometimes wondered
whether he did not hate the very sight OF
me. His drinking bouts TOO, became more
frequent, and there was not a soul in
the place who did not know what kind OF
man he was. People pitied me openly.
but I think that made things worse
Then one day the judge went TO Eng
land on leave, and the Barnards came in
his place. Beatrice, there is a proverb I
have heard which says that God tempers
AiAe hliiu 70 the S0OTn lamp. THINK he
must have sent Helen to me to help me-
She was an angel! She came TO save my
reason and my life when it seemed as
though all the powers of evfl were in arms
against me. My husband was always
drunk, except when he was out shooting
Il believe he kept sober then, al least
men said soE But in the intervals, when
he was al home, he was always drunk l
have lain awake night after night, dread
ing his violence-Gladys and l together,
with the door of our room locked and bar
rlcaded. Sometimes Helen would insist
on our going TO her. She had wonderful
control over Bob, even in his most violent
moments. ! think he was afraid of her.
There is something so strong about Helen
never think she is like other women
But there was one other who had a
greater influence over my husband, and
that was Capt. Neville. I think IL was
out Of pity for me that ne first came TO
our help. And Bob liked him. He gener-
ally hated other men who were not ike
he was, drunken and brutal But he
liked to have BERTHE Neville with him al
ways, and I grew 10 bless the man who
could calm my husband when he threat
ened me and everyone else with violence