The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-07-11

I think. sir--to face his neghbors again.
and try TO live down the memory OF his
| disgrace. Ny husband heard from him
when he left England. and heard a sec
! ond time, when he was settled. and do
ing well. in America He In alive there
now. as far as I know; but none OF US In
the Old Country-his wicked wife least OF
sll-are ever likely TO set eyes on him
| again"
what became OF Sir Percival7' I in
quired Did he stay in the neghbor-
hood?"
mot he, sir The place was too hot TO
hold him. He was heard at high words
with Mrs. Catherick the same night when
the scandal broke out, and the next
morning he took himself of"
And Mrs. Cathertck? Surely she never
remained in the village. among the people
who knew OF her disgrace2'
"She did. sir. She was hard enough and
heartless enough 10 set the opinions or
all her neighbors at fat defiance. She de-
clared to everybody. from the clergyman
downward, that she was the victim OF a
dreadful mistake. and that all the scan
dal-mongers In the place should not drive
her out OF II as II she was n guilty wom-
an All through my time she lived at Old
Welmingham. and after my time when
the new town was building. and the re-
spectacle neighbors began moving 10 IL,
she moved too. as IL she was determined
10 live among them and scandalize them
10 the very last There she is now and
there she will stop. In defiance OF the
best Of them, 10 her dying day"
But how has she lived, through all
these years7'' asked. Was her husband
able and willing TO help herr"
Both able and willing. SIR said Mrs.
Clements I'm the second letter ne wrote
TO my good man. he said she had borne
M In, ~
wicked as she was she must not starve
like a beggar in the street. He could sf-
ford 10 make her some small allowance,
and she might draw for II quarterly. at a
place In London"
did she accept the allowance7'
mot farthing OF II, sir She said she
would never be beholden 10 Catherick
for bit or drop. II she lived to he
hundred And she has kept her word ever
since When my poor dear husband died.
and left all 10 me. Cather1ck's letter was
put In my possession with the other
things-and / told her 20 let me know II
she was ever I'm want I'll let all England
know I'm in want che said before
tell Catherick. or any friend OF Gather
ick's Take that for your answer: and
give II 10 him for an answer. II he ever
writes again"
DO you suppose that she had money OF
her own7''
Very little. II any. sir II was said. and
said truly, i am afraid. that her means
OF living came privately from Sir Per-
cival Clyde"
After that last reply. I waited a little
To reconsider what I had heard II 7 un-
reservedly accepted the story so far, II
was now plain that no approach. direct
or indirect. 10 the secret had vet been re-
vealed 10 me, and that the pursuit OF my
object had ended again in leaving me
face 10 face with the most pa lpable and
the most disheartening failure
But there was one point I'm the nara
tive which made me doubt the propriety
OF accepting IL unreserveily. and which
suggested the idea OF something hidden
below the surface
| could not account 20 myself for the
circumstances OF the clerks guilty wife
voluntarily living out all her after-exist-
ence on the scene Of her disgrace. The
woman's own reported statement that
she had taken this strange courre as
a practical assertion of her Innocence.
did not satisfy me n seemed. 10 my
mind. moro natural spd more probable 20
assume that che was not so completely
q free agent in this matter as she had
herself asserted In that case who was
tho likeliest person 10 possess the power
OF compelling her 20 remain az tvelmins-
ham, The person. unquestionAbly, from
whom she derived the means OF living
She had refused assistance from her hu.-
band. che had no adequate resources OF
her own. she was friendless degraded
woman: from what source should she de-
rive help, but from the source ~ which
report pointed-Sir Perclval Glyde7