Year: 1876

my wife. Rudolph's emotion, too, at parting
with her-all seemed naturally explained.
How much, or how little, betrayed of these
frantic thoughts to him who had stirred them
up, I cannot now recall. was conscious, in
some degree, of the necessity for self'control,
for dissimulation, even with him, my tried
and trusty counsellor and friend, as believed
him to be, weak, blind fool that I was. 1 re-
member storming out some incoherent senten-
ces, while he reasoned, argued, soothed-feign.
ing surprise and dismay the while at my an
cry mood, as though he had not excited it.
Then left him abruptly, feeling that I must
seek solitude or die.


Once alone, reason, or something akin to it,,
re-asserted its sway. After all, what had
happened? My violent outbreak over, and a
comparative calm succeeding to it, I gather
ed up my disconnected thoughts, and review.
ed dispassionately the whole subject Of the
disturbance. 1t lay mainly in what selwyn
had said-and yet, what had he said? I
could not take hold of single definite word
he had looked and breathed his meaning, not
uttered it. 1t might be his warm affection
for me-his zeal for my happiness-that had
made him over anxious to put me on my
guard. He had probably been hasty in his
conclusions-had acted with well-meant i'm.
petuosity, not foreseeing such consequences.
I had believed or understood more than he
intended to convey-had behaved absurdly,
in short, no sooner had I arrived at this
stage of my reflections than I was ready to
tear my hair with rage at my own folly and
want of selfcontrol. In short, was distrac-
ted by conflicting emotions; but the upshot
of it all was that determined to act as if
nothing had happened, and thus make amends
in a measure for the irrational behavior of
which 1 had been guilty.


I believe Selwyn was astonished to see me
walk calmly into the psrlor that evening.
Though of course he did not even look bis
surprise. Olive was serious and silent, but
that was nothing unusual, and the evening
passed away in the ordinary manner, my wife,
according to custom, retiring at an early hour.
Instead of remaining below to smoke or chat
with selwyn, I followed her speedily, resolved
to obtain an explanation in regard to the note


And now,I discovered how absurd, how
groundless had been my jealous suspicious !;
for, on nay demanding-I remember now with
what imperiousness-to see the unlucky mis-
sive she handed it to me without word, with
only glance of reproach, at my unkind tone
I tore it open. 1t contained but few lines,
and those message of kindly warning to me,
to beware of Selwyn and his professed friend.
ship. He knew, the writer said, that l was de-
ceived in the estimate of my friends charac-
ter, and would, perhaps, one day repent of
admitting him to too close an intimacy. He
wrote this to Olive, instead of to me, knowing
how strongly. -preiudieed was in Selwyn'sL
favor, and thinking that the caution transmit
ted to me through her, might be met with
more federation than coming directly from
him. Vexed as I was at what I considered
of6ciousness and injustice on my brothers
part, was intensely relieved at finding how
complete had been my own mistake in the
suspicion I had formed.


This, however, was the beginning of trouble,
for the seed sown by Selwyn's treacherous
hand was not up.rooted, but remained to
spring up and bear bitter fruit at future
day.


noticed after this, special avoidance of
our guest on Olives part, and att-ibuted her
conduct to Rudolph's warning, to which, no
doubt she attached undue Importance. l
fancied that Selwyn, too, was changed. ob-
served restless excitability about him, alter
mated by fits of gloomy silence, and his man.
ner was often absent and pre-occupied.
questioned him one day about his changeful
moods, and he told me that he had had some
disagreeable letters from home, and that busi-
ness matters would speedily require his return.
Still he lingered-for over two mouths he had
now been domesticated at the castle, and it
seemed as though he could not make up his
mind to leave.


And now I must record fatal discovery l
made one day, suddenly and Unexpectedly,
while my wife was absent from the house.
She had gone in her carriage on an errand to
the neighboring village, and l, wanting to
find missing paper of mine, and thinking
she might accidentally have put it away in
her desk, went to look there for it. My
search proved fruitless; and being in haste, I
replaced the desk very carelessly too near the
edge of the table on which it. usually stood,
and brushing it with my elbow as I turned
away, overthrew it on the floor AS it fell,
secret drawer few open, the spring broken by
the force of the fall and disclosed red
covered book, with journal" in gilt letters
on the cover.


Olives journal! I took it up, and an over
powering desire to acquaint myself with its
contents seized me- Here was a medium
through which I. might discover her inmost
thoughts, her real feelings toward me. l
could no more have resisted the temptation
to take advantage of so favorable an oppor-
tunity of satisfying my curiosity, than if l
had been in the power of the Arch-Fiend
himself, and forced to obey his mandates as
believe now I was. I sat down, and open
ing the book, devoured the record on its pa
ges with feverish eagerness. The beginning
of it-which seemed continuation from
journal left off in another volume-dated as
far back as the second year after she came
first to live in our family. 1t contained many
illusions to her recent loss, in the death of
her parents, and many expressions Of afec'