Year: 1873




"Lucy," said the dying man, in faint
tone, II have done you terrible wrong"


He clasped her hand ,feebly as he spoke,
and looked up at her with imploring eyes.


Before I tell you all, he continued, "will
you promise me your forgiveness p


She could not resist the appeal. Without
knowing what dark confession-what dreadful
revelation-might be before her, she gave the
required promise.


Then, in broken and faltering words, with
many pause between, many murmured ap-
peal for pity, many an anguished expression
of remorse, he breathed out the history of his
checkered and guilty life.


With part of this my readers are already
acquainted !; but for the sake of enlightening
them on some still unexplained points, we
will rehearse it with him from the beginning,
only giving it in our own words instead of
his.


When very young he had met Bertha
Leighton, an orphan, who was reputed to be
immensely wealthy. Stanley himself was
poor, but ambitious and mercenary, and his
friends jestingly counseled him to propose to
the young heiress, who would make him, in
every respect, an admirable wife.


This advice he accepted in earnest, and i'm
mediately set about making himself agreea-
BILE to Miss Leighton, who lived in the house
of a grabbed old uncle, whom her parents had
appointed as her guardian.


Bertha was an amiable, gentle girl, with no
force of character, but a clingng and affection
ate disposition, and a credulous andimpresslble
mind. Soon the devoted attention of Stanley
Joined to the attraction of his handsome per-
son and singularly fascinating manners, won
her regard, and it was not long ere she yield
ed her simple heart wholly to his keeping,
giving him the pure gold other love in return
for the merest dross. Stanley did not love
her; he thought her silly and insipid, though
there was nothing in her mild, inofensive ma
ture to call forth any harsher sentiment than
indifference. With some difficulty the consent
of her guardian was won to their marriage,
which accordingly took place; but Stanley
found to his disgust that her property was in
some way tied up so as to prevent his obtain
ing absolute control over it, as he had desired
and expected to do.


Shortly after the marriage, the guardian
died, and there was no other near relative to
watch over Bertha's interests, or take any part
in their family affairs.


Stanley, in spite of his disappointment, did
not Immediately manifest any unkindness to
his wife. The sincerity of her affection, and
her implicit and unquestioning obedience to
his slightest wish, could not but soften and
disarm him, and he was gentle and considerate
to her, not making any ardent demonstrations
of attachment, but satisfying her meek and
gentle heart with show of affection which he
did not really feel, slender and incomplete as
it was.


At the end of year, their child was born ;
a blue-eyed boy, strongly resembling his
mother in appearance. From this time Ber-
tha's health, never very robust, began to fail ;
and she was not considered strong enough to
have the care of her infant, which was sent off
to the country to be nursed. 1t was her wish
to have the nurse in the house with her; but
Stanley, who was not partial to children, de-
cided differently, giving as his reason, his
opinion that the country air was the most
healthful for the child. With her usual do
cility, his wife submitted, without opposition,
to his mandate; but she pined for her little
one, whose arrival had been source of great
happiness to her, and her cheerfulness gradu-
ally declined, while her health continued to
grow weaker.


1t was at this time that Stanley began to
show symptoms of indifference to his wife, and
WEAKNESS of her society. Her low spirits
were source of annoyance to him, and her
pale face and languid air vexed him, without
exciting his sympathy. Gradually he got
into the habit of absenting himself from home,
and finding amusement in more cheerful
atmosphere. Bertha observed the change,
and was deeply wounded by it; but instead of
reproaching him, she endeavored, with tender
asiduity to win him back, by increased de-
monstrations of her affection, and a still more
constant endeavor than before to discover and
follow all his wishes.


Among Stanley's most intimate acquant-
ances was young lawyer by the name of
Gresham, a man of the lowest principles, who
scrupled at no means by which he could at.
tain any end he had in view. He was one
who made use of his friends in every possible
way; and in all his actions was guided solely
by selfinterest, and view to his own ad-
vancement. He learned casually from Stan.
ley how the property of the latter, or rather
his wife's property, was arranged. He knew
something of the circumstances of his. mar.
riage, and was shrewd enough to guess at his
real sentiments toward Bertha. He possessed
great influence over Stanley, and felt sure
that if the latter could obtain the control Of
the property, he himself would be gamer by
it. He began very cautiously to throw Out
hints on the subject by which, without be-
traying his own motives, he could discover
pretty well what were Stanley's feelings in
regard to it. These hints operated so success
fully as to produce in Stanley's mind still
greater dissatisfaction than before, and an
ever-increasing desire to be put in possession
of what he termed his rights. Meanwhile his
GOODNESS to Bertha increased and the poor
girl, finding all her gentle arts to regain hi:
tenderness unavailing, sank into a deeper
melancholy, and displayed at times nervous