The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-10-24
namo has become byword. But what
of that? have been a mans slave. I
have done his bidding.'

! /
have done his bidding.'
! But how, madam''-still I under
stood very little of this talk, vet be-
came suspicious when she spoke thus
of the jewels-"how came Molly's Jew
els to be your own?''
Il tell you, Jack, by promise and
compact. l must so back to another
discourse with you. 1t was on a GER
tain evening year ago. You had made
the fine discovery that Lord Flying
dale was gamester and the rest of it.
You told me. You also told me that
Molly would not keep her promise and
would certainly not be at the church
In the morning. Do you remember?''
x remember that we talked about
things"
eve did. Go back a month or two
earlier. BY most monstrous deceD-
ton l was brought here 1 was told
first that it was in order to further
some political object, which l did not
believe; next, to help him in getting
the command of this money-some wo-
men, l said, easily lose their sense of
honor and Of truth when they want to
please their lovers. AS for marriage.
he declared for the hundredth time
that there was but one woman in all
the world whom he would marry-mt-
self. Now do you understand? He
had deceived me. Very well. Then l
would deceive him. At first my pur-
pose was to await in the church the
coming OF the bride and expose the
character of the man. Since she was
not coming I would take her place.
what? 1t was you, then-you-
your
eyes, Jack. I was the woman YOU
saw at the rails. had a pink silk
cloak like that of Molly. am about
the same height as Molly. 1 wore a
domino, as had been arranged. You
took me for Molly"
| "But if you were the BRIDE
| II was the bride. am the Countess
Of Fylingdale-for my sins and sor-
rows-his wretched wife,
''But you would be revenged. And
| yet you suffered this monstrous fraud.'
II was revenged. Yet why did I say
nothing? Did not say that you
could never forgive me-? Well, I have
no excuse only when 1 said that wom-
en- like me, with nothing to do, some
times go mad after a man and for his
sake cast away honor and care nothing
for shame and i'll repute. say, jack"
she repeated earnestly, that I make
no excuse. tell you nothing but the
nj in ho1 top
l said nothing, only stood still,
waiting for more.
|'When l took Off my domino in the
vestry, my lord, with the man Purden,
only being present, he was like mad
man. That I expected. After raging
for awhile and crying out that he was
now ruined indeed and after cursing
Mr.. Purden for not destroying the reg
listers he listened to Mr.. Purden's ad-
vice that we should consider way out
Of it. Accordingly, in my lodgings, the
man Purden, who is the greatest invent
or and encourager of every evil thing
that lives, set forth the ease with which
this marriage could be claimed unless
there was any obstacle such as sudden
illness which might be proved to have
made Molly's presence impossible. In
| other words, we were to assure the IN
fortunate Molly that she was already
| married, and we were to act as if that
was the fact. We ascertained without
trouble that she had not left the house
that morning. How? We sent the
musicians to congratulate the bride,
1foin ~ l.;
wrath and drove them off,
"And to this you consented out of
your passion for the man,"
''Partly. There is always more than
one reason, you know, for a woman's
acts and words. In this case there
was bride. l confess that have al
ways ardently desired jewels. l can
not have too many jewels. He prom
ised, Jack, that should have them all.
Perhaps-l do not know-the promise
of the jewels decided me. Oh, Jack,
they were wonderful! No such bride
was ever offered to woman before"
| l gazed upon her with amazement.
Truly an explanation complete! Yet
what confession for proud woman
~
on honor and truth and virtue and a
bride to quicken her footsteps!
And now" l said, you are willing
to make this story public"
Il have thought about the business a
good deal. 1t has caused me more an
noyance than you would believe" An
noyance! She spoke of annoyance!
''Besides, have been cruelty abused
I have been the cause of that poor girl
losing great part, perhaps the WHOLE
of her fortune. have been robbed Of
the jewels. He swore to me dozen
times that he had never had them.
may by tardy confession save some
thing from the wreck for that poor girl
He has wronged me in every way-in
ways that no woman will or can for
give. revenge my wrongs by making
him a beggar a few weeks or months
before he can come to the end of his
money