Year: 1859

my husband did not return at Il


usual hour. ! watched long at m
: accustomed place, at the parlor vii


dow. His slippers and dressing gov
were warming by the CRATE and ev.
|rything was in readiness for him; bu


he did not come. Twilight deepene


into darkness, and l began to gro,


uneasy. All my selfish feelings wer


aroused, and I felt myself sorel,
|grieved. An hour more and yet b
came not. l paced up and down tn,
apartment in fit of impatience. 4
ring at the door. / waited to hear hi
step upon the stairs, accompanied by
the rustling of silk. Nellie B


an intimate friend, bounded in.--
She said her carriage waited at the
door for myself am Ernest, and wish
led us to accompany her to the opera
| told her Ernest had net yet return.
ed from bis office and ! coald not go
Sine looked disappointed. A sudden
thought seized me. Would it not be
capital revenge for his neglect of me
to find the parlor deserted when he
came? Invent to the opera. Scarce.
ly were we seated in our box when
a party entered the box opposite
The blood rushe back to my heart,
and my pulse stood still as | recogni-
zed Ernest-my Ernest, my husband
and leaning upon his arm was one
of the most beautiful creatures my
eyes ever bebeld. This was my first
impression, for there quickly followed
SO deadly and jealous hatred as to
make her look positively ugly. ]
quickly drew down my veil that my
husband might not discover me, and
from my concealment l watched them
with glaring eyes. / heard nothing.
saw nothing else; and once when ra!-
lied by my companions, l replied that
I was not well and begged to be left
alone.


Then with the ierceness of a tiger
fearful OF losing his prey, | turned
my eyes toward my husband and bis
companion, She seemed to be enjoy.
ing the performance intensely, but he
seemed to see nothing bu:: her. His
head was bowed towards her, and she
would occasionally lift her eyes to bis
face. Then l saw him smile (iust as
he'd smiled upon me a thousand
times) while be bent still lower to her
with renewed devotion.


Each moment was like red-hot
dagger piercing my heart. | know
not what demon possessed me, but ]
think | must have been mad when l
vowed terrible revenge. 'Twere
better, l reasoned, that be should
die, while yet there existed in his
hesrt spark of love for me, than
to see him little by little drawn away
by the siren, till, perhaps, I should
be utterly deserted and left with all
my blind love eating away my heart
strings like consuming fire!


!'At my request we left the opera
at an early hour, and with a terrible
purpose entered my home. But
what was that home now to me?
The love that had frightened it was
no longer mine. Some demon fur.
nished me with resolution to execute
my desperate and awful purposes.


1T had been our custom sometimes
to drink glass Of sweet wile of an
evening when we we're alone. / drew
the table to the fire, and placed the
decanter and glasses. Then, with
trembling hands, | brough: a deadly
opiate, the nature Of which1l well
knew. The first effect it produced
was n deep sleep, which, in few
hours, ended in the still slumber ol
death. I filed the glasses and into
one I dropped the drug. All was
done with rapidity lest my resolution
should fail me.


..sWhen I was ready paced up
and down the room, nursing the fires
which ragged within my bosom, re.
counting to myself the wrong | had
suffered. ! pictured to myself my
idolized husbandlyiDg stiff cold be.
fore me, and | fell into passionate
fit Of weeping. Then drew ano!h.
er picture. l saw him drawn from
me, giving bis love to another. AT
that moment I heard bis night key
in the latch, and he soon entered the
room. | stood in the recess of the
window where he did not at once OBJ
serve ne. The wine had att,acted
his attention-the fatal glass. l saw