Year: 1873

| OWEN NORRIS.


CHAPTER XIII.


The day wore slowly away, and still heard
nothing from John and Mary. She did not
come into my room after dinner, as usual
and on ninquiring after her, Nellie told me she
was suffering from headache. longed to
90 up and comfort the child, but I was not
able to leave my room. All could do was
to try to wait patiently. 1t was about twi-
light when heard her step approaching my
door.


care you awake, Mattie?" she asked.


"Yes; come in. I was sorry to hear you
had such a severe headache-is it better"


"Oh Matte, it is not my head-it is my
heart that's aching now.'


"Have you told John about those letters p
~. eyes; but see that he does not believe
me. don't know suhat Henrietta could have
told him, though she seems to have proved to
his satisfaction all that she said


"But he does not doubt your affection tor
him now?"


"No; he says that he believes l love him,
but having deceived him, he can never have
the same confidence in me again"


"Did you tell him all that occurred between
your cousin Richard and yourself2


"No I only told him knew Henrietta
had shown him some letters, which she preten'
ded had written after my marriage, and that
it was not so"


"What did he say?"


"Nothing, except when asked him if he
believed me, he said-I believe you love me
now but also believe that you were engaged
to Mr. Howard when you accepted me. You
cannot deny this and then he left the room. "


"And sOere you engaged to Mr.. Howard,
then, Mary?"


"I did not think so but for fear he might
have that belief, wrote him letter before l
engaged myself to John, telling him that l no
longer cared for him, and that the understand
ing between US was at an end but he says ne
never received this letter. l think John is
acting very unjustly and cruelty toward me.
1 should suppose two years devotion to him
ought to have some weight in influencing his
opinion as regards me-"


"Hush Mary. You must not speak in this
way of your husband. You do not know the
Leslie blood. 1t is slow to anger, and as slow
to forgive. There never was greater devotion
than Johns to you but you must remember
he has, what any one in his place would think,
certain proofs that you have deceived him:
He will require all these to be done away
with before he can restore you to his conf
dence."


"Why do you say there never soas such love,
Matte? Do you think he does not love me
now?"


II know he loves you and in the future,
when you have long forgotten this, it will be
cause of grief to him to remember that he
ever doubted you"


ellis love is not like mine. No one could
ever have made me think that he did not love
me. Oh! Matte, how much better it would
have been for all of you, if had not married
John! You see have only caused trouble.
I begin to believe am the stranger in the
prophecy aunt Patsy told usof. | sometimes
almost wish that was dead"


mo, you must not think that; nor you must
not talk about dying, either. Don't you
know there are many times in this life, when
the struggle is, not to die, but to laues l so
often think of that verse in the Bible: Men
shall seek death, and shall not find it, and
shall desire to die, and death shall flee from
them You must make one more effort to
convince John that you did not intend to do
what was wrong and then, if he will not be
convinced, you will have to let the future
prove to him that you are not untrue


"It will be hard life to lead; but l sup
pose must try. 1 think had rather you
would not mention the subject to him, Mat
tie. Ifhe will not believe his wifes statement,
it is not likely he will believe yours. hear
some one coming, so Twill bid you good night" }"


All how much better, it would be, if those
words, perfect confidence" could be appre-
ciated, and more fully understood! have
heard persons say that no husband or wife,
had right to know anything of the past of
either party. How differently do I think!


But then, I am old-fashoned in my notions,
believing in one love, and al that sort of
thing. Times have changed since my day.
Now it is always the present love which is the
true, though there may have been five hum
dred before. 1 am happy in my belief, and
| T l. &lo;,