Year: 1859

lite; and his future wife S proposal to avoid all
the usual ceremony and publicity of a we'd
ding, was more than agreeable to him,-it was
positive relief. The courtship accord
ingly kept secret at Torquay, and the mar
riage was celebrated privately at PenEddy. 1t
found its way into the local newspaper as a
matter of course; but it was not, as usual in
such cases, also advertised in the Times Both
husband and wife were equally happy in the
enjoyment of their new life, and equally unso-
cial IN taking no measures whatever to publish
it to others.


Such was the story Of the rector's marriage.
Socially, Mr.. Carvings position but little
affected, either way, by the change in his life
As a bachelor, his circle of friends had been
small one; and, when he married, he made no
attempt to enlarge it. Hehad never been pop
ular with the inhabitants Of his parish, gener-
ally. Essentially weak man, only capable of
asserting himself positively, in serious matters,
by running into extremes. As a consequence
of this moral defect, he presented some singu-
lar anomalies in character. In the ordinary
affairs of life he was the gentlest and most
yielding of men but in all that related to
strictness of religious principle, he was the
sternest and most aggressive of fanatics. In
the pulpit, he was preacher of merciless SER
mons; an interpreter of the Bible, by the let
ter rather than by the spirit, as pitiless and as
gloomy as one Of the Puritans of old-while,
on-tfIe other hand, by his own freside, he was
considerate, ferbearing and humble almost to
fault. As a necessary result of this singular
inconsistency of character, he was feared, and
sometimes even disliked, by the members of
his congregation, who only knew him as their
pastor; and he was pred and loved by the
small circle of friends who also knew him as
man. These friends gathered round him more
closely and more affectionately than ever after
his marriage-not on his own account only,
but influenced also by the attractions that they
found in the society of his wife. Her refine
ment and gentleness of manner: her extraor-
dinary accomplishments as musician her un-
varying sweetness of temper, and her quick,
winning, womanly intelligence in conversation
charmed every one who approached her. She
was quoted as model wife and woman by all
her husbands friends; and she amply deserved
the character they gave her. Although no
children came to cheer it, a happier and more
admirable married life has seldom been witness
ed in this world than the life which was once
to be seen in the rectory-house at Penliddy.


r With the necessary explanations, that pre-
liminary part of my narrative of which the
events may be massed together generally, for
brevity's sake, comes to a close. What L have
next to tell is of a deeper and more serious
interest, and must be carefully related in de-
tail.


The rector and his wife had lived together,
without, as honestly believe, a harsh word or
an unkind look once passed between them, for
uPTafds ef two years, VIXEN Mr. GaHling took
his first step towards the fatal future that was
awaiting him, by devoting his leisure hours to
the apparently simple and harmless occupation
of writing pamphlet.


He had been connected for many years with
one of our great Missionary Societies, and had
taken as active part as country clergyman
could in the management of its affairs. At the
period of which | speak, certain influential
members of the society had proposed plan for
greatly extending the sphere of its operations,
trusting to proportionate increase i'll the an
nual subscri ptions to defray the additional ex-
penses of the new movement. The question.
was not now brought forward for the first time.
It had been agitated eight years previously,
and the settlement of it has been at that time
deferred to future opportunity. The revival
of the project, as usual in such cases, split the
working members of the society into two par
ties; party cautiously objecting to run any
risks; the other hopefully declaring that the
venture was safe one, and that success was
sure to attend it. Mr.. Carling sided enthusi-
astically with the members who espoused this
latter side of the question; and the object of
his pamphlet was to address the subscribe to
the society on the subject, and so to interest
them in it as to win their charitable support
on. a larger scale than usual, the new project.


He had worked hard at his pamphlet, and
had got more than half way through it, when
he found himself brought to a stand still for
want of certain facts which had been produced
ON the discussion of the questions eight years
since, and which were necessary to the fulland
fair statement of his case He at first thought
of writing to the secretary of the society for
information; but, remembering that he had
not keld his Office more than two years, he
thought it likely that this gen l,man would be
able to help him, and looked back to his own
diary of the period, to see if he had made any
otcs in it relating to the original discussion of
the affair. He found note referring, in gen.
eral terms only, to the matter in hand but al
luding, at the end, to report in the Times Of
the proceedings of deputation from the socie-
ty, which had waited on member of the gov
ernlnent of that day, and to certain letters to
the editor which had followed the publication
of the report. The note described these letters
as every Important and MIR. CARING felt, as
he put his diary away again, that the success
full conclusion of his pamphlet now depended
on his being able to get access to the back
numbers of the Times of eight years since.


1t was winter time when he was thus stopped
in his work; and the prospect of journey to
London (the only place he knew of at which
files of the paper were to be found) did not
present many attractions. And yet he could





object. After considering for a little while
and arriving at no positive conclusion, he left
the study, and went into the drawing-room to
consult his wife.


He found her working industriously by the
blazing fire. She looked so happy, comfortable
so gentle and charming in her pretty little
lace cap, and her warm brown morning dress,
with its bright cherry-colored ribbons, and its
delicate swansdown trimming circling round
her neck nesting, over her tosom, and
he stopped and kissed her with the tender
ness of his bridegroom days before he spoke
When he told her of the cause that had
suspended his library occupation, she lis
tened; with the sensation of the skies still
lingering in her downcast eyes and her smiling
lips, until he came to the bjcct of his diary,
and its reference to the newspaper. AS he
mentioned the name of the Times, she altered
and looked him straight in the face gravely.


ssCan you suggest any plan, love-" he went
on, (Which may save me the necessity of