Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-12-03
CHAPTER XXI.

times, and despair at times, returned
to London.
CHAPTER XXI.
. One of my first proceedings, after my
return, was to ascertain how the Eng
lish law stood with regard to Olivia $
position. Fortunately for me, one of DR..
Seniors oldest friends was lawyer of
great repute, and he discussed the ques-
ton with me after a dinner at his house
at Fulham.
There seems to be no proof of any kind
against the husband" he said, after 1
had told him all.
'Whyw exclaimed, ''here you have a
girl, brought up in luxury and wealth,
willing to brave any poverty rather than
continue to live with him."
"a girls whim," he said.
s'Then Foster could compel her to re-
turn to him?'' / asked.
'As far as 1 see into the case, he GER
tainly could" was the answer, which
drove me frantic.
sBut there is this second marriage" I
objected.
There lies the kernel of the case," he
said ''You tell me there are papers.
porting to be the medical certificate with
corroborative proof of her death. Now,
if the ewife be guilty of framing these,
the husband will bring them against her
as the grounds on which he felt free to
contract his second marriage. She has
done very foolish and a very wicked
thing there.
..You think she did it?' 1 asked.
He smiled significantly, but without
saying anything.
But what can be done now?" asked.
'sAll you can d." he answered, sis to
establish your influence over this fellow
and go cautiously to work with him. AS
long as the lady is in France, if she be
alive, and he is too i'll to go after her, she
is safe. You may convince him by de-
grees that it is to his interest to come to
some terms with her. A formal deed of
separation might be agreed upon, and
drawn up; but even that will not perfect
ly secure her in the future"
l was compelled to remain satisfied
with this opinion. Yet how could be
satisfied, whilst Olivia, if she was still
living, was wandering about homeless,
and, as 1 feared, destitute, in foreign
country?
made my first call upon Foster the
next evening. Mrs. Foster had been to
Brook street every day since her re-
! turn, to inquire for me, and to leave an
urgent message that l should go to Bell
ringer street as soon as l was again in
town. The lodging house looked almost
as wretched as the forsaken dwelling
down at Noireau, where Olivia had per
haps been living; and the sitting, musty
| air inside it almost made me gasp fer
breath.
$50 you are come backr was Foster
greeting, as l entered the dingy room.
'Yes," 1 replied.
81 need not ask what success you've
had," he said, sneering ".Why so pale
and wan, fond loyerg Your trip has not
agreed with you, that is plain enough
II did not agree with Carry, either, for
| she came back swearing she would never
go on such wild-goose chase again. You
know was quite opposed to her going? p
mo-" I said incredulously. The dia-
mond ring had disappeared from his fin.
ger, and it was easy to guess how the
funds had been raised for the journey.
altogether opposed he repeated 81
believe Olivia is dead. am quite sura
she has never been under this roof with
me, as Miss Ellen Martineau has been
should have known it as surely as ever
a tiger scented its prey. Do you suppose
have no sense keen enough to tell me
she was in the very house where was ~
"Nonsenser' / answered. His eyes g!is-
tened cruelty, and made me almost ready
to spring upon him. could have seized
him by the throat and shaken him ia
death, in my sudden passion of loathing
against him; but sat quiet, and ejacu-
lated "Nonsensew Such power has the
spirit of the nineteenth century among
civilized classes.
"Olivia is dead" he said, in solemn
| tone. 81 am convinced of that from
another reason; through all the misery
of our marriage, l never knew her guilty
| of an untruth, not the smallest. She was
| as true as the gospel. Do you think
| you or Garry could make me believe thai
| she would trife with such an awful sub
! ject as her own death? No. / wou.6
| take my oath that Olivia would never
have had that letter sent, or written tt
me those few lines of farewell, but tx
let me know that she was dead"
There was no doubt whatever that hi
was suffering from the same disease a.
that which had been the death of m,
mother-a disease almost invariably fa
tai, sooner or later. A few cases of cure
under most favorable circumstances, hat
been reported during the last half cen
tury; but the chances were dead agains
Fosters recovery. In all probability, {
1 long and painful illness, terminating il
inevitable death, lay before him. In tn,
opinion of my two senior physicians, al
that / could do would be to alleviate tn,
worst pangs of it.
His case haunted me day and night
In that deep undercurrent of conscious
ness which turks beneath ezs sarfac'