The Lamar register., 1908-07-22
CHAPTER l.
In Which It Is Shown That Marriage
Does Not End All!

is usually pre-marital. No matter in
what wild fury of passion and tenn
pest, outward and inward, the young
people may have been plunged, their
author seems to think that he has
quieted the raging seas of adventure
with the oil of his pen-Or of his
ypewriter!-when he has led them
to the altar. In the minds of the
creators of the children of fancy prac-
tically nothing ever happens after the
forging of the hymeneal bond. In
the world it is usually different.
The circumstances preceding the
marriage of Ellen Slocum and Bernard
Darlington the protagonists of this
veracious chronicle of disturbance.
were sufficiently unusual in them
selves to have given rise to a num-
her of interesting and highly exciting
~episodes. upon which with great reluc-
lance refrain from dilating, for Ellen
Slocum belonged to an old and very
respectable family domiciled in Phila-
delphia since the days of William
Penn, while Bernard Darlington was
an English baron of ancient and hon
orable lineage whose seat was a dilapi-
dated castle in Dorset.
Ellen was an orphan, her mother
having died in giving birth to her
Her father, deceased shortly before
her marriage. had been prosperous
merchant and shipowner. Demands
father, also eliminated from the story.
had been a gambler and spendthrift
who had broken his wife's heart and
dssipated his own fortune. Conse-
quently. Ellen was blessed with a
supernuity of this worlds goods which
more than matched Lord Carrington's
lack of the same. Ellen was staunch
patriot, rebel and a revolutionist
therefore. Lord Darlington was a
promising lieutenant in the English
navy In some qualities happily he
resembled his mother rather than his
father
Without entering into the details of
their previous acquaintance, suffice 1t
to say that they had met while Lord
Darlington was n prisoner of war at
Philadelphia, and married. The Amer
ginning of this romance and the scene
is set at Darlington castle in England.
Ellens money, or considerable por
ton of it. had been cheerfully used
by her to rehabilitate the ancient seat
of the family of which she was now
become the chatelaine.
= She had the disabilities of her quail
tiles. too. She had never touched a
card; she had never ridden a horse.
she did not even know the steps of
the minuet or any other dance. and un-
Til her marriage she cared little about
that prime feminine pursuit called
following the fashion," The two had
been so busy in their first comrade-
ship. there had been so much voy-
aging between England and America,
necessitated by their plans, that there
had been no time for these things as
yet.
The two lovers had lived for each
other and much alone during the per-
iod preceding the opening of this
story. but with his castle now com
pletel, repaired and his fortunes thor
oughly rehabilitated. Lord Darlington
must needs exploit his good luck by
showing his beautiful wife with whom
he was very much in love and of
whom he was Unfortunately proud. and
exc his castle, to some particular and
intimate friends of both sexes-men
and women of fashion of earlier and
less innocent days. The Introduction
of several varieties of Adam and n
number of distinct species of Eve in
this hitherto serpentless Eden caused
the trouble to begin. The marriage
had stood the test of isolation. the
greatest test that could be imposed
Was it to break down before the lessee:
trial of association? We shall see.
1t was an excited and angry Ellen
who confronted her lord and master
in her boudoir late one autumn night
or to be quite accurate. early anoth-
G autumn morning. And my lord OF
Warrington was by no means cool him
self. although he was more remarkable
for natural imperturbability of manner
than his hasty and beautiful wife.
As she spoke with him. however,
she let down her hair and carefully
removed those extraneous arrange
ments which had enabled her to raise
1t towerlike above her brows, doffed
her silks, unclasped her stays and as
sumed more convenient negligee,
in which she was not less charming.
as preparation for the imminent fray
1t was to be the elimination - the
minor elimination that is, the greater
would come later-of series of an
moving incidents since the opening of
the castle to the house party. My
lord and my lady both had grievances
which each was eager to present for
the calm and dispassionate judgment
OF the other.
First in Lady Ellen's mind was
Lady Cecily Darlington. cousin sew
eral times removed of my lords. The
relationship was not near enough to
render my lord immune nor was it re-
mote enough to warrant Indifference
Indeed. Darlington had had rather
difficult part to play. Ellen had dis
covered that an ancient love affair
had subsisted between her husband
and Cecily and she imagined not
without cause = that Cecily. a repre-
sentative product of the vicious soc:-
ETY. of her time. was endeavorins to
fan the embers into a flame. Nor
could she detect in Lord Darlington
method of handling the situation any