Year: 1873

some time to hear that he was on hi


way to rejOin me. But business in


terfered with his plans, and one thiDl


after another combined to prevent hi
return, until we had been three year
separated from each other; and al


though my own health was then per
s fectly restored, was enjoying mysel
too much to have any wish to revisit
5 Calcutta.


: More than that, / had begun to re
5 gret, guilty creature that was, tina


/ had ever seen the place, or the MAI


whom called my husbandl / had
never known much OF him, as may


be supposed; during our brief mar
, ried life he had been occupied for the


greater portion of each day, and the
, little did know was fast fading from
my memory. The heart forgeis
5 quickly from IS 70 q, and particular,
ly when absence is added to feeling
which had never eliminated beyond


gratitude. And much happened dur


ing those three years to wipe the re-


membrance OF him off my mind.


was exceedingly thoughtless and fond


Of gayety, and my little house was


soon crowded with visitors. I was
pretty, aIso-I need have no hesita-


tion in transcribiDg the fact, since
paper cannot reflect my blushes-and


some among my new acquaintance


were found bold enough to tell me so.


Among these was n certain Alfred


Knowles, connection of my own,


who had introduced himself to me on


that account, claiming q distant cous-


inship, and taking advantage of that
/ oil n ncfa hffGh N ~ ha-


tween us. He was handsome young


fellow, not many years older than


myself, with lots of life and sparkle
about him and when at last he ven-
tured to tell me that he loved one as


he had never loved woman before, he


made me believe he was very much
in earnest; and, to my misery, ]
went still further, and believed not
only that / returned his love, but
was very much in earnest also. Per-
haps some may wonder that can
write so quietly on such a theme; but
have an object in doing SO. My
purpose in telling this tale is to show
the means by which / was rescued
from the wrong contemplated; but
will not sully its pages by detailing
how the sin was so nearly brought
about. When it was that l first fam
cied / loved Albert Knowles cannot
say; but the idea grew by little and
little, until 1 was strongly imbued
with ii, and when the crisis of my
fate arrived, felt as though was en-
tangled in a web, from which there
was no possibility of escape. 1t was
not many days after the completion
of the third anniversary Of my arri-
val in England that he implored me
TO break through the shackles of a
marriage which had been unhallowed
by affection, and to link my lot with
his, and consented. Without taking
time to weigh the consequences of the
step | was about to take, without hav-
ing seriously ascertained whether my
lover was really worth the loss OF pO.
sition, and name, and honor to me, l


had promised to give up everything
for him; persuaded, almost against
my better judgment, by the professed
ardor of his attachment, and the ferv-
or of his entreaties!


How well / remember the night up
on which / had agreed to fly with
him how well recall each trivial in
cident of that miserable time It was
a warm evening in July; even ct 8
o'clock it was still light, and [ thought
the darkness would never fall 10 COW
er my disgrace. / sat in my drawing
room striving to occupy myself, and
to make the hours pass as they did on
ordinary occasions, but without effect;
my nerves were so painfully acute
that the least sound made itself ap-
parent, and distracted my attention.
As the time advanced l could hear
the servants chattering to each other
as they put up the shutters and bolted
the doors, and shuddered as / thought
how freely they would handle my
name upon the coming morrow. Ten
o'clock How slowly the hours drag
ged themselves away! Would they
never go to bed 4? As / anxiansly
awaited the moment when I should
have the house to myself, and yet
dared not hasten their movements by
a word which might excite suspicion,
all the events Ofmy past life crowded
into mind and while L could have
counted the loud pulsations of my
heart, it seemed as though l fingered
there for no other purpose but to gaze
upon the panoramic pictures which
memory presented to me. With my
elbow leaning on the table, and my
eyes staring into vacancy, 1 must
have looked more varquished than
triumphant; more like q defaulter
who hears the approaching step of the
officer of justice, than a woman whose
coveted happiness is just within her
graspI Why did the remembrance OF
my husband, of the man of whom !
had thought so little, come to torment
me in the hour of nervous expectation,
and make me turn so hot each time /
thought of him that there did not
seem enough air in the room for me to


breathe? did not love him, neither
did l fear him; but knew him for a
man of unblemished honor, and
could not contemplate the blow 1 was
about to inflict upon his name with
out acknowledging that he deserved
something better at my hands. He


had taken me, a dowerless orphan,
for his wife he had loaded me since
with every benefit that money could
procure; l could recall the affection
ate gravity with which he would re-
proach my girlish levity; the cheer
ful readiness with which he acceded
| to every innocent wish that 1 express
ed. Why-why, in the name of God,
did all this, which L had so long for
gotten, come back to me now? What


would he say? What would he think
How would he look when he heard
the dreadful news that 1 had dishon-
ored him and left my home with a
stranger? I dared not consider; I GOV.
cred my face tightly with my hands,
and rocked myself backward and for


ward in my pain.


And yet how could disappoint Al


fred, or give up him who loved me so:
"Oh Why,n / inwardly moaned,
"why did my husband send me home


to England, or why did he not come
also to protect me from harm? Ihave
lived alone, without friend to warn
me of my danger, and now it is toe
late-it is too late J" So in my ex,


tremity 1 sighed, and so thought.
The servants now appearing to ask


if I required anything further at theiI
hands, dismissed them impatiently,
and listened wearily for the moment
when silence should reign over the
little household, and its mistress be
free to folsake 1t. When it arrived
1 went up to my bedroom. There
stood the boxes, addressed and corded
to account for the presence of which
L had been compelled to fabrieate thu
falsehood of my being about to pay {
. visit in the country the following day
trusting that when the servants fount
1 was gone they would forward then
: to their destination.


In the meanwhile had only a small
/ travelling bag to carry in my hand
! and the few articles which 1 required
were soon placed in it. 1 stripped of
! the jswe!ry which 1 wore, and Locked
it in my jewel case, putting the key il


place of safety; 1 emptied the con
, tents Of my purse upon the dressing
|. table, for had no intention of takins
l anything with me that I could posi-
|; bly, do without. Then 1 robed mysel
! in my walking apparel, and was ready
! ready for what?


I Eleven O'clock, the hour for meet
ing, was close at hand, yet fingered
: 10th, / am glad to think, to breaE
through the ties which bound me We
! q little longer to the society of tht
4 4 good and the pure. But I had madi
up my mind; had given my promise
What was there to detain me? wa:
: 1aoUinc- the rOOn1 vvhap 7 CAUGHT ef rrb