Year: 1869

ever, / told her hoped 1 saw her ir
good health, and I even inquired after
her husband. The mention of his
name soon brought her whole story to
her lips. He was alive and depraved
as ever, and had lately quite given
up exhibiting, and taken to playing at
nine pins with cricket ball, in which
sport he was engaged when l found
his wife.


| His sole object in marrying her had,
| it appears, been to live on her earn
Ings, and do no work himself, for
there was nothing he hated so much
rs keeping himself clean for company.
But he very soon discovered that her
slender store would not suffice to sup
port his extravaganza for month, for,
careful, as she had been, she had long
had to send remittances to her faith
1 er and uncle in Podolia-both giants
l-bcsides ministering to her suitor's
wants. He had simply been deceived
by the size of the bag in which she
kept her savings, and he was mean
enough to be revenged on her for the
\ failure of his own merccnary calcula-
tions. Forgetting that lie had under
taken to cherish and protect her, he
began to treat her with studied cruel
ty, though for time this cruelty was
| not of such a character as made it easy
for her to complain. He was simply
rieglectful, and appeared to be uncon-
cious OF the existence of his wife, and
one day, when, having just touched
her brow with his lips in response to
her fearful entreaty, he was asked if
that was the kiss Of duty or the kiss
of affection, he replied that he declined
to answer the question.


Thenccforth he threw off all con-
cealment and all restraint, and like
the wolf in the, fable, never suffered
himself to be at a loss for an excuse
for the indulgence of his ill-will. Her
housewifely care was something re-
markablc, and when, after prying in
to all the angles of their lodging, he
failed to find any dust which had es-
capped her broom, he would turn round
and bitterly taunt her with the parti-
ton of Poland, as if she had had a
hand in that crime; and he would
positively ask her what she thought of





tured 10 remonstrate with him for play
ing at loo till two o'clock in the morn
ing. ...-


Sometimes his his ill-treatment seem
ed to be dictated by the most fiendish
n1Hfignfty. Under pretensc of liking
fresh cooked food, he would order her
to make pudding for their dinner of
Il size proportionablc to his own ap
petite and nature, and, halving this
meagrc dish with the penknifc which
he used ut table, would ironically bid
her "lall to" on Il portion that, while
it was ample enough to-. serve for his
necessities, would not make her n de-
cent mouthGul. 1t was the same with
the food of the mind she had taste
for the beauties of our literature. and
was accustomed to enjoy the classics in
folios, but he insisted on her reading
them in diamond editions.


These were the main points of the
story she told me, with many tears,
and in a. manner that would have
touched heart of stone. When she
paused she drew out handkerchief to
to wipe her eyes, and in doing so she
accidentally brought out of her pocket
4 garment which turned out to be the
dwarrs greatcoat, and which had found
its way there in Il manner she could
not account for, except that she had
taken it UP unl>nowingIy in one OF
those periodical fits of mental distrac-
tioF caused by her husbands brutal
Z avior. 1t often happened, she in
formed me, that she fell into little mis-
takes of this kind in tidying up the
place but Minnikin made no allow
ance for them; OH the contrary, they
served him as excuses for further i'll
treatment and he had once indulged
in horrid excuses of violence because
she had inadvertently made an apron
string of his dress cravat.


l took my leave of her without wait
ing to see the dwarf, and told her in
all sincerity how sorry l felt to see
her thus placed in the power of a
tyrant. / felt that whatever my own
mistfortunes were in losing her SER
vices they were us nothing compared
with her own in surrendering her free
dom and happiness to wretch who
did not know the. value of his posses
sion and | was so anxious to be of
service to her that made up my mind
to open my own poor show ut the 9TH
er end of the town, i'll order that 1
might have an opportunity of seeing
her from time to time. II L did so and
made several calls. paying for admis-
sion each time, for | was determined
to be in no way beholden to a man
detested.


1t was beautiful to sec her in the in
terval of the leaves trying to become
a good wife to Minnillin not only
performing the household work with
the greatest care, and smaking the pud-
dings so small that they looked like
dumpIings in her hand, but even try
ing to bring her capacious mind into
harmony with the narrow understand
ing of her lord. Her views were ma.
turally broader than his, for his head
was certainly not larger than Span
ish onion but she tried to narrow
them. by all the means in her power,
and sometimes she succeeded by
great effort in forming false judg-
mcnt on one of the subjects of theday.
She would bring this out along with
the materials for his supper, and if he
deigned to say that he was inclined to
be of her opinion, the headache it had
cost her to blunt her fine perceptions
and to do violence to her conscience
would Immediately pass away.


But all to no purpose. One day L