Year: 1875

to marry. She was eighteen; was
barely out OF my majority; but she was
q poor, desolate little orphan sent out in
to the cold world to do the best she
could for herself as a governess; l was
madly in love with her, and was my
own master; we had no wiser heads to
advise us and no more experienced hands
to guide us-so we took our own way, as
was but natural, and married on my
clerkship of three hundred year. |
need scarcely say we were happy. For
the first two years indeed it seemed to
me as if / had never really lived until
now. Our pretty little home at Kilburn
was bright and cheerful. Edith was al
ways affectionate, always good-tempered,
and like Annabel Lee seemed to live
"with no other thought than to love and
be loved by me-" My work sat on me
easily; and being young people of mod
crate tastes we had money enough for
all we wanted. There was not flaw
anywhere, and the days were scarcely
long enough for the 10y that filled them
with sunshine from beginning to end.


All this continued for two years, and
then my wife became a mother.


This was the first break in our manner
of life, the first shadow cast over the
brightness of our happy love. 1t changed
the whole order of things, and the change
told heavily against me. Edith was no
longer my companion as she hao peen.
The baby was delicate, and her health
also gave way. She was obliged to go to
her own room quite early in the evening,
sometimes at seven o'clock or so, ana
even when she was well she was up In
the morning with the child, and the even
ings hung on me heavy and long. was
no student in those days. l was social,
and if not inordinately yet undoubtedly
fond of amusement; hence, sitting alone
for all these hours after my solitary dinD6r
for Edith dined early by the doctors or
ders-was dreary work for me, apa gre"
daiIy more fretted by the dulJaess OF my
once sunshiny hone


I tell the story just as it was; not 10
excuse myself, but to explain.


Also. tco, the desire for more expert
ence pstural to my age began to make
itself felt, and more than once | found
myself confessing: owe married too
Young" Yet did not wish for dissipa-
ton; was not conscious of reserve OF
wild outs that was longing to SOW, but
l did want little change from the dead
monotony of my spoiled home. l was
yearning for the society of men OF my
own are and standing, and naturally
the boy, though l loved him we'll
enough-for all that I thought him the
ugliest and oldest little imp l had ever
seen-was not to me what he was to his
mother. To her indeed he was every
thing. The mother had superseded the
wife, and the husband was nowhere In
comparison with the child Edith was
angry too that I did not, as she phrased
it, "take to. him more," and was angry
that she took to him SO much. May be
that was Jealous On looking back L
should say that was


Just when Berthe was three months old
a fellow in our office introduced me to
Jack Langhorne. Handsome, wellman-
nered, rich, gay, good-tempered, gener-
Gus, Jack was just the man to fasclnate
comparatively raw lad, as l still was
He knew everything, being one OF the
kind who start at seventeen as men and
"see life" Systematically from that time.
There was not an accomplishment in
which he was not proficient; not a
game he could not play, giving long odds
and winning. He was lavish of his
money, and a gamblerby inbred instinct.
He was always stalking his fate on
chance, and hitherto chance had been
his friend. He used often to say that he
had been too lucky, and that he should
have to pay for it before he had done.
Nevertheless the day of payment gave
no sign of dawning, and Jack went on
stalking and landing, backing the right
color and the winning horse as IL he had
private Nostradamus at his elbow, and
could read the future as other men could
read the past.


l dare say many of my readers will
laugh at me for the confession, but had
never seen race until Jack Langhorne
took me down to the Derby on his drag
1t was day both of great enjoyment
aud great excitement to me, for under
his auspices / netted fifty pounds and
felt a millionaire. | was wild with
pleasure; perhaps, too the champagne
counted for something in my hilarity al
took home to Edith sixth of my year
ly income, made in fewer hours than
took me to earn my paltry diurnia
guinea. Visions of fortune, golden anC
bright, passed before my eyes. and al
ready / saw Edith queening it in tn,
park with her housekeeping bays ant
faultless turnout. She should have ev
erything money could command. What
ever else my visions showed me she wa
always In my thoughts and highest il


But when gave her the money sh
turned away from me coldly and a min
ute after had buried her face in the pi


low of the sofa where she was lying an


was sobbing. was good deal su


prised, a little shocked and greatly hui


Il had better use the harsher word an


say vexed- at this outburst. / did nc


see the good of it and did not unde;


stand it. Besides it chills a man


painfully to be received with coldne'