, 1898-10-21

remembered that my name belonged to
my children.
Breeding, haunted by a hideous vision
Of being compelled for my honor's sake
to put away my wife, to drag her through
the mire and filth of legal proceedings, of
thc opprobrium of society, of moral an
inhalation; something whispered to me,
4have the courage to save her from all this
let the icy hand of death send her IN
sullied to a better world, where the ALI
seeing alone can judge her. The idea
would not, did not, leave me- 1t had an
extraordinary fascination for me-; even
now, though l know my suspicious were
wrong, / believe l did my best for her
nnder the circumstances
at was not murder, not was the act
Of tenderest love. ! wanted no revenge
on her-I only wanted to save her from
shame and bitterest grief. l resolved to
send my beautiful Mabel to heaven, even
while | affronted hell for her sake. My
logic Is sound, S~tandish, is it not? She
would have gone hence blameless! From
me an inexorable judge would have de
manded the price of her blood, and for her
sake I am contented to pay it!
'sThis idea fascinated me. l had, from
the fear of doing my dearest one harm in
some ungovernable fit of despair. remain
cd in my own room, on the plea Of indif-
ferent health, and there l thought out my
plan. One night, just after you had gone,
I had put on my smoking jacket and sat
down to think, but l could not smoke, my
mind was a sort of fiery mist, all the past
unrOlled itself, the happy hours, the
sweetness and purity of my darling;
should / allow shame to touch her? A
voice said to me, the hour has come, let
it not pass I rose up, and o q long
keen knife, which Egerton had given me
as a curiosity; it was fine and sharp. l
went softly but boldly to her room. / did
not fear to meet anyone. / was not over
stepping my right. The door opened with
out noise.
s'Now, l have nearly told you every
thing, Standish. My brain is growing dull
and dreamy. l have always wondered
why Egerton shrank from me. Dorothy
has explained why. She has restored my
faith in you. When 1 knew the truth it
made me %pitiless. The irreparable evil
wrought by mother Infatuated me.
rushed to her and told her that, thanks
TO her cruel tongue, her son was what she
would call a murderer. I wonder 1t did
not kill her! My sufferings have been
great. though / have had long spells OF
torpidity. Since l came down to FoFdsea
I have been conscious of an awful, ire
sistible WEAKNESS of life. Like the I'M
happy Moor, whose story is so like my
own, My occupations o'er-no, not yet.
Hmust settle my account with Egerton.
cannot rest till that is finished"
Standish was very white and his teeth
were set when he laid down the last sheet
Of this long, sad, startling letter.
1t was too true, then, Dllon's clever dis
entangling of the puzzle! What a terrible
tragedy. this destruction of two lives! His
generous heart ached for the ruin, the in
Justice, wrought by a spiteful tongue, by
the selfish recklessness of a man too alb
surbed In a guilty passion to hesitate a
the, sacrifice of friendship, honor, loyalt!
or even the happiness of the woman h
professed to love.
1t was brutal, insatiate, but Standisi
had no time to think of Egerton now. Gal
Ianders case was a serious one. He mus
not be suspected; the terrible truth mus
not leak out. For the unfortunate Grim
inal himself Standish felt the most pro
found pity. He could not look on him q