MILDRED'S HUSBAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7416, 13 July 1895, Page 4

MILDRED'S HUSBAND.

CHAPTER I. Paris, in the days before ita recent troubles began. A summer evening, wilh that delicious, buoyant French atmosphere that at first almost intoxicates the English visitor, accustomed to our damp and foggy climate at home . he hot day had patsed ; for it had been one of those intervals of fiery-furnace heat that are more exhausting, early in the year, than when full summer • has come, and people have grown accustomed to be almost bioiled alivo. Tha overling had fallen, wors was over, and all Paris was out of doors. People ware enjoying themselves as only Franch peoble oan. Two young English - men were lonnging in the winoow of an hotel, talking idly, smoking, and commenting on the p_»3ors-by. ' 1h» faot i», Wriothesky,' «aid Sir Helleileigh Eltham—for such was the name of the speaker—'marriage is the curse of our family. There is always something turning up for us Jilthams in that state which brings us unhappiness. My father and mother both had tempers ; my grandfather and grandmother lived as much apart as they decently could; and as for mysel*, i never knew what it was to have a homo, or any kind of home happiness—nor am I likely to know it now.' 'You cannot tell,' interposed the individual who was addressed as Wriothesley. 'It is very easy for you to lounge there, looking nonchahnt and indifferent, and say so,' returned Sir Hellesleigh, ' with, no greater aim in life than to hit those children below with cherry-stones. As for me ■ ' ' That is my misfortune,' again interrupted Wriotheeley. ' What you say is only too true. I wish I had something to think of. You don't know what a lucky fellow you are.' ' i cannot see it,' rsplied the Baronet. ' Look at mo,' said his friend ; 'here am I, with only two or three thousand pounds in the Three per Cents., and what will that do to help a poor fellow through this wioked world ? "What is the use of belonging to a profession that is gone to the dogs, as civil engineering ia ? I think sometimes it would ba a good idea to sell out at ouce, and live jolly for three months on tho principal ; then I could go the diggings, or tako a berth on board some .sroiia vessel of exploration, from which you are expected not to come baok, but remain among the icebergs. Probably, in this case my grateful country would erect mo a monument, and nature would be my undertaker. There i ■•■ one thing loft, hy.vovor, in proferenca to either of those. I might marry an heiress ! I never thought o f that before.' ' Be thankful that you aro not obliged to marry one,' responds! iiic Hollesleigh. ' Take warning from me.' ' T hon you are rtwlly going to do co?' said Wriothesloy. -I have no alternative,' was tha reply. ' I have given my word for it.' 'Tie deuce you have!' exclaimed Wriothesley. 'Would it ba treading on forbidden grouud to ask one or two questions in tho mstter ?' ' You are wolcome said tho Baronet, 'to the brief history I have to givo, which is anything but creditable to all who figure in it, "myself included. I was not cf an ago to be consults- when tiiO elders arranged the match, and my betrothed must have luxuriated in a go-cait or a baby jumper— perambulators were noi in vogue then. I was approaching jearsof indiscretion, when my father mo of the scheme, and cautioned me agf.icst boing drawn into auy other engagement. Wnst a rage I flew into ! I was aa undutif ul a young man as you can well imagine; and I gave my father my mind pretty fraely on the subject We might have talked reasonably about it, but he laughed and sneered at my sentiment, as he styled it, and we parted on bad terms. Wo avoided each other for a few yeftrs, and whyn next we met he ff>.i on hii deathbed at Kapleß. They telegraphed for for me, aud I arrived most opportunely; two hours later, it would have been of no use. It was not a timo to remember old scores or be to I promised him, addiug the words, ' Providing the girl consents.' ' ' Ana. does she?' enquired his friond. ' I suppoeo so,' replied air Helltsleigh ; ' for I have had a letter from her fathor, asking me if I am aware that the timo ia come for the fulfilment of my promise. You see, I wrote to him after my father's death, from a presrioos wi*h of the latter, Saying that I should be glad of a year <r two to cmvel and see the world ; hoping that some one would fct p in, in the meantime, between me and this nice";y arranged felicity, ft seems that the prize is still to be had ; for the lady's father wiiui thut her education is now campleted, and I can have her at auy moment. Very chacining, is it not?'

' What is she like P' asked Wrio'-heslny,

J Yt> hat must the be like, to consent to fling herself at a man's head in that way ?' an«wered tha Baronot. ' Hor mothor is dead, aud she lives with her sisters and r. governess at some old tumble-down place near iiichmond - ' Tho tiermiiage,' they oall it. Xhe father dots not bear the best of characters in many ways ; and the girl oan havo no good qualities by inheritance, for he ia an old vagabond. Ho has induced the Governmenc to give him some foreign appointment for two years, &nd ho writes me that tho marriage muat take plaoe al once, as he leaves England In lees than a month.'

' What is her name ?' enquired Wriothes-

ley. •Mildred Chetwynd,' was the reply ; 'and I don't doubt but she squints, has red hair, a hump on hrr baok, and a cluo foot. iSothing less would make her so anxious for a husband, iiuch conduct puts a woman outside the pula.' ' Quite a royal marriage,' aaid Wrioihesley, with a grimace, 'and very romantic' ' Yes, that is another disagreeable feature,' observed the Baronet; ' it is all so singularly ridiculous—just what you would rtad of iv tome volume of the Minerva Press ecnool.'

< But why was this marriage so necessary that it was arranged between the parent* ?' aakod Wriothesley.

' It originated tbrough a lawsuit,'replied Sir Helles'eigh. 'ihey compromised a difficulty about some property in our family to which these 'Jhetwyuclu lay claim ; and one of the clauses agteed upon by the parents on both sides, or rather understood between them—for of course no lawyer would havo p;itt iv such an arrangement — was that I bhould marry Miss Chetwynd, who would inherit in her mother's right. I once got hold of the papers, and nearly turned my brain trying to fathom them; detarmincd that ii the "Jhetwynds had any claim to resign at onco in their favor; but before I had mastered the first century of genealogies, I had to give that promise to my father; to I am in for being a Benediok The most diagustiug part is tho indecent haste with which they are urging everything on. 1 rtpliei to old C'hetwynd's letter that I should bs in England shortly, to make his daughter's acquaintance ; and ho tends me \*ord that she is quits prepared to be married on my arrival. The impertinent old humbug aciuilly numes the d»j ! Then Uo goe-J on, adding iui-.ult to injury, to dilato on the unliable disposition I ol hia daughtsr, who has been, since her mother's dtatb, quite a parent to hor younger sistera. The old Pecksniff!—l thould prefer leaving him this domestic treasure !' ' Lias ho no son?' ' _4o—his qaiver wasfilled with daughters. 1 here is a stury current in our family that oaoh girl's birth was so groat a disappointment to him, and his itelings were expressed so strongly on the different occasions, that at last no one oould be found courageous enough t-j cairy the news to him. Probably Mies Mildred inherits her papa's tamper, or she would not be such a prodigious favorite.' ' suppose.' Wriothesley, * you were to go over and frightau her by a display of yourf. Then, if she deolurud off, you would bo free.' ' No, no— i have prornked to matry her, and 1 intend to ktep 10 my barguiu. If I do not Jive wiih hor, sho oanuot complain, since she chooses to marry a m-.m who never asked for her hsnd.' ' _iow would your purse ba if you gave up all the disputed propeity ?' ' Very linht,' aiisi-.-ertcl the Baronet, 1 but so would my hoait be. Don't laugh, Wrioihesloy, at what i am übout to _iy. You kuosv every ieilow has an idea of the kind of woman he should like to marry—!, had miue. I alwajs wunted to marry differently trora the rest of our fiitmly. 1 wanted a wife to bj vejy fund of mo, and all that sore of thiog—one who would not miud tho loneliness of Elthain because 1 was wi'h her, „ud who would like my pursuits und—' ' Capital!' onud Wriothesloy, laughing. ' Why, my dear buy, no one ever gets that kind of woman ! She is not to be had.' ' I could submit, I believe, if -tics Chotwynd did not begin by being so uupriucipied. We don't want that shortcoming iv our wives, at nny rate' ' Will you still oari-y out your plan of living at Jilthum ?' enquired YVriothesloy. 'Otrtaiuly. Everyone sr.ys the coal is there; and, with toe improved system oi miting, tho piace ought to be very productive. I shall leuvo my future sponso in Loudon, or wherever phe pleases to slay, and devota all my soul and affections to ooiileeeluug ' ' Provided Lady Eltham consents to j our arrangement ? added tho Baronet's iriond. ' Do not call her so until it In neceßeary. To think that 1. am to givo my name to a woman I hate!' ' lou have quite en' ugh of the name for two people,' rt joined Wriothesley, provoking ly. ' it is all the shall ever have from me,' saidSirHollesleigh,vehemently; 'and Ithill take an early opportunity of warning aud telling; ht r what is before her. When ch Q

has heard what I have to say, she oan judge for herself how Bha likes the prospect. ;< Ith • am was built for couples such as we will bo. As I said before, marriage is the curse of my family, and I shall only bo fulfilling my destiny. _ho oan come to Eltham if she pleases.' Mr Wriothesley had some notions of his own about fulfilling a promise that mora was needed than the letter ; but he forbore to add fuel to his friend's wrath by remonstrances. When they were parting, the Baronet said— llf I drop you a line from London, will you come over and see me through the sacrifice ?' 'I shall be in Ipiwich after next week ; write to me there.' ' I would almost as soon flght a duel as undertake what is before me,' »aid Sir HelleslsiKh. ' If a man had half-a-dozon lives to live, throwing away tha hope of happiness in one would not m»ttar muoh; but when a fellow has but one life, it is really sad to lose the joy of it at a single throw." ' You are crying out before you are hurt,' replied Wriothesley, as he turned to go away. (To be continued)