Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-04-11

tell afterWard whether IL was some
foreboding of coming evil that mad
made her defer breaking the seal.
When at length she did so, she read
the letter slowly; but she was long IN
understanding it perfectly.
"Lincoln's Inn, London, Nov. Sd.
Dear Madam,-In accordance witt
your wish, we have made every pos
sible inquiry with regard-to the -ir-
cumstences attending your sons mar
riage. Mr.. Macivors has himself
been down to St. Byno's to investigate
the matter personally. He has ex-
amined the register, spoken to me
clergyman, and the result is that he
finds no formality has been omitted 10
render the ceremony valid. We are
therefore in a position to state mo st
positively that there is no flaw what
ever in the marriage, which is per-
fectly legal in every way. By your
| ladyship's desire we have consulted
one of the most eminent Queens
Counsel as to whether the marriage
could be annulled on account of his
lordship's being under age, and the
opinion given is decidedly adverse.
We consider nothing further remains
to be done, and beg to subscribe our
i selves your ladyship's obedient SER
wants,
| Barnard e Macivors.
"To the Lady RIVERS"
What did it mean? She knew no
firm of Barnard & Maciycrs. OF
whose marriage were they writing 10
her? Her mind seemed suddenly
| blank.
Then terrible though flashed into
her mind an idea so horrible that it
seemed for few moments to paralyze
her. She read the letter again, and
again looked at the address. 1t was
not for her-that was certain. She
had opened letter intended for Ran
dolph's mother, and had read it's oon-
tents. Quite slowly the dreadful
truth came home to her She had
opened her morther-in-law's letter,
who had evidently been writing to this
firm of lawyers to see if it were pos
sible, on any ground whatever, to
annul her marriage with Randolph.
Slowly but surely the truth came
home to her. This was what her hus-
bands mother had done. She sat
silent for some time with the silence
of despair; then she said to herself;
81 will take the letter to her, and
will annul my marriage myself"
CHAPTER xxxVIll.
The dowager Lady RIVERS was in
her own boudoir, room on the lower
corridor of the west wing of Tie
house. 1t was nearly ten o'clock, and
cold November morning. Her lady
ship had ordered her breakfast to be
sent to her own room. The fire
burned cheerily in the CRATE. Her
ladyship, in a warm dressing gown,
with a picturesque little cap of fine
point-lace on her head, and holding
the morning newspaper in her hands,
looked the very picture of comfort.
She wondered just little why she
had had no letters that morning; she
never thought of the new footman, or
of the possibility of any mistake. She
had been expecting an important
letter from London for some days, but.
as yet it had not arrived.
That letter she fervently hoped
would put an end to the present un-
pleasant state of things. With every
day that passed her dislike to her
sons wife increased, and she hoped
to find that in the eyes of the law she
was not really his wife. Then all
would be plain sailing. She trusted
to her own influence over her son; she
willfully blinded herself to the fact
that he worshiped his wife; she chose
rather to believe that, if the law gave
him a chance of escape from a tie
she hated, he would avail himself Of
it.
OF course there would be little
scandal and wonder that could not he
helped. She comforted herself by
thinking that many marriages had
been annulled in this fashion-she re-
membered several. No one had
thought it very strange or wrong.
She knew that all the fashionable
mothers would sympathize with her;
she never though at all of the harm
she might do to Violet. Randolph
could go to London in a season or so,
and marry whom he would. She
smiled to herself as she finished her
chocolate. 1t did not occur to her that
she had the strong passion and the
lifelong love of man to deal with
Randolph had always submitted to her
sway; why should he not do so now?
Then, and most Unexpectedly, came
an interruption in the shape OF a
quick sharp rap at the door
"Entrez!" said her ladyship, who
considered the French word far more
elegant than the English equivalent;
and there entered Violet.
She was new Violet to the
dowager-no longer the girl she could
insult and humiliate at will, but
stately woman, with head proudly
carried and flashing eyes. woman
whose whole figure and bearing spoke
of outraged dignity and pride. There
was on hesitation, no faltering: Violet
walked straight up to her. holding the
open letter in her hand.
by mistake" she said, this letter,