Year: 1873

uuN pitdSuic lof


in the saddle for
nearly ten DAYS"


Although l said nothing, my face must
have expressed my disappointment, for
he very soon said:


DO you wish to 60, Clara?"


Every much"


"Would you be satisfied to go without
me?"


Hardly"


"Then suppose we stay at home. l
should enjoy reading this volume with
you more than riding ont" and he tossed
beautifully bound little volume in my
lap.


At another time l should have
screamed with delight, for it was what l
SO much longed to sea copy of "Enoch
Arden"


But now there came no response, no
word of thanks from my lips. He
seemed disappointed, but said nothing
as he went out.


i was Just in the mood to feel unkind-
ly toward every one, and most unkindly
of all toward my noble husband. What
right had he to make me conform to his
tastes. Then l fell to thinking how
cruel it was to bring me away from my
earlier friends and bury me alive i'll that
miserable, dull town. Surely all men
were not so reserved or fogyish as he,
! and wondered if | should not have been
more satisfied with one nearer nv own
age. Then / found myself making
comparisons over dangerous train of
thought for wife. Somehow, upper
most in my mind during all this mental
harangue was Lieut. Morris, with his
handsome face and genial ways. |
blush now with shame as ! recall those
thoughts, but l was angry and disap-
pointed then, and just in mood to think
myself much abused.
/ must have behaved shamefully i'll
that day, for in the evening my husband
came up to where was sitting, and lay
ing his hand upon my shoulder said in II
very low, calm voice:


"Clara, 1 would not willingly give you
pain or deny you one pleasure. cannot
attend you tomorrow, but if you wish
will provide you an escort"


"Oh, do!" / exclaimed, SO eagerly that
the calm look in his eyes grew painfully
penetrating as he fixed them sadly upon
my face.


l went with the party, nominally I'M
der the escort of Doctor Stanhope and
wife, but it was Lieut.. Morris who rode
by my side, who praised my riding, my
figure and general appearance with more
warmth than pleased even my Unsuitable
vanity.


After that day my husband seemed
different. He was as kind to me as ever,
even indulging me more than formerly,
/ but the old tenderness was gone /
missed the stolen caress, the pet warmth,
| the thousand little tendernesses that had
before made my life SO sweet.


Had any one given me n whispered
hint that my heart was growing disloyal
to my husband, or that Lieut.. Morris
sought my society with pleasure, l
should have repelled the accusation with
indignation. / had no thought of any
thing wrong. But then why was l so
pleased with his society? Why did l
care SO little whether it was he or my
husband who rode by my side, who
walked with me, and seemed always
ready to attend me? 1t was because ]
loved fattery, and he filed my measure
to intoxication.


The summer had ripened into autumn,
and autumn was fast merging into win
ter; still, contrary to all our expecta-
tions, we were still detained at the sta
ton. Mrs. Stanhope had set her active
brain to work coniuring up festivities
for the winter, and her programme was
the promise of oyster suppers, card par
ties and balls enough to suit the liveliest
taste; and I, SO far from being surfeited
with society and pleasure, was almost
beside myself with the dclightsome priv
ileges. -.


The old home delights of reading and
conversation that had once been so
pleasing to me were now disliked and
neglected, except at intervals, when
prudence and duty would assert their
sway.


NV husband never rebuked me, and