MILDRED'S HUSBAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7443, 14 August 1895, Page 4

MILDRED'S HUSBAND.

OHAPT/i'B XX[ ICon'.inued.)

Here waa an indication of regard aush as pho had saJdom had from him before, and at first ghe sat d)wn with a happy blush, auma'd at herself for giving the incident a second thought Presently she began mentally to go ov r all ho hr.d said, but aa his words by" degrees took ordec before her, a sei.pe of a vague v, aut in them gradually crept over her. .he armlyt-ed them sentence by i-etiti-iieo, nnd b-fore long hi-real fooling ! hus stood definitely bfore her:

' Hβ re-pict< me ; he iLiiuks A am en--- in whoro hundu his imiuc and h.tior mty be ,-ifely placed - ' Cfemr's wife,' etc He finda me neulul to him. companionable and willing, dooile and obedient. ihis is all -.nii by summing up these qualities ho discivfcl'c he would rather have me than not, autl there the matter ends. I sutmiaed this before, and vow that 1 know it with certainty, I feel thero can be nothing more. If he had once said, ' A love you, Mildred, , ever so little of h.U love would have contented me. How much I would give for one fcuch expression! What mat'era all that I have striven for, if I never come nearer to his heart than now? A do not think I can bear it much longer; I do not think I can go on in this \>>>y, with Dever v word of affection, never a loving syllable all day long. I almost feel as if I was an intruder in this my own homo An hour ago I would have been thankful to know that he believed in my honesty ; now— how greedy human niituro grows ! -I want thrit out. two ttntt is in the midst of the garden ; nothing OS., will datiay me.'

With a weary skh sho went to bed, but when morning came, and the emotion of the previous eight had pa&sed away, she rose, feeling , very ihank.'ul for what her hnfibaiid had naid, and roady to do battle with aunt Duncan or any other enemy she might encounter. Entering her dressing-room she found the fctarnps still on the table, and wondered how he had maniged to do without them. ■*** * * * *

Aa Sir ilcllealeigh retired along the gahery, after th« interview with his wife, he tnGt hie friend Wtiothodey

' Ate you incHucd for a tsmoko, Wrioth-esk-y ?' ho asked Come along then.' Comfortably seattd opposite each other in the Barouet's &inokiug-voom, enjoying tho fragwoco cf sorce choicf) cigars, tho r. s-o friut-ds at fis-ht malniainert a long silence — eac ! i occupied with his own

ttou.thts. wae thinking what an unusual sight it was to hi« host in his wife's corridor; while Bic Hollesli:igh had thoughts of his own. I'ho latter w<is the fiifct. to break the stillness

Duncan is fi. ,, old she devil.' ' Ten-fiend power,' was the l-icjuic reply 'I wish aha were at Jericho,' said S:r ■lellssleigh. * I wish I had the disposal of her ' 'What would you do v.ithher?' asked tho Baronet

'Take a weok to consider, and, if nothing woi'ne ofiti-i'd the end, send her out to some Red Indian tiibe. I would at least take care that the never got i'itD civilised society again, since eho does not know how to conduct hertolf in it.'

1 She is a terrible old womun. I believe she has something Satinie ia he? composition, Wriothesley. What a tongue she has ! And of course tho lifctlo woman upstairs niubt take all that her isunt pays to heart, and hah cry her eyo-i out about it I suspected a« much, and so went in to see her, but I do not think eho is half comforted yet.' a h ! Sir Hnllesleieh a iittli more would have put every thine sfraight. It ia wonderful what a triflo teta a woman right, provided the tiropei , cou;so be tiken with bxr.

! I saw Lady Tiltham's ?ips grow white. Whenever thut ia the case with womeu, &nd they carry it through wish an effort, I believe they make up for it afterwards wheu they ato tdono. We florin and have dono with a diffieuity at once, but the other s.-x have their way. It is a very bad one, ior they cut up rough when they begin ' 'So did Lady -iltham/ a«d Sir w.ellealeigh ; ' but she is such a composed little oreature at all times that it is not easy to know the real state of feeling; she had provocation enough however to-iiight, I would rather not answer for my observance of tha sixth commandment if certain troublesome, mischief-making people came across mo juat now lam trying to smoke myself into a good humour.' '' Pipe of peace,' interjected V-'iiotheeley. * Preclfeelv, or pipe truce rather. J. am taking a leeson io self-control from Lady JBilih.".m until I Ret the houna cleared.'

Lady Duncan expected an invitation from her niece to prolong hot visit, but Mildred waa quite determine.' not t J give it, breakfast passed over next aiorning without a word being t>aid upon tho subject. Aβ Sir Mellosloigh was leaving the room he stooped over hia wife's chair, and said- ' Mayo you asked your aunt to prolong her visit?'

1 Mo ; nor shall I.

' in that case, Mildred, I mutt remain at home tbiß morning to see her off.' • If you wouid be co good,' imploringly replied la\Aj .nhham. Lady i)u?jcsa waa veiy angry, and vonted her wrath on her for not having the trunks packed, although aho had given no orcierH to tli.it effect, so cortttin was aho of "■i mainmi , , a.so on tho Q -eenfells, who, lii%u Jl.ady i them, were wishing htr away tvith nil "fLeir hearts.

bir 'lollb 'i iyli with a grim smile handed hci to her v/iwhud hur a safo jouru< j hud turued oil with his Menus to the stab c«, con'rutuliiting him:-elf on tho peace the> Ladsomo hope of enjoy iug no ,v , my h-.d cvacu./.ttid the preto/Bua 1 > of tho weak staouthly ; toe oulijihteued by Mrs Ger,,ru, ( wer*6 #ffiteful to ma,!iQ n.> more attacks on •3i£Sfc&lthaiQ, an-i iorebure all allusions to loliti.ußhipd. "* day of tha visitoi's' stay oime and :;.r Hello-leigh ana with Sr Wriothesley, utooa on tLe btepj v/atching tho last carriage drive eway.

' It ia i'.n inhospitable remark that I am about to make,' uaid the Buronet, ' but I am bettor tempeied whea speeding tho parting puesc than welcoming coining one ' ' ttio, iia !' cried jYiildrtd, laughiug. ' It ia too palpable a feeling for me to nttempt to c:)iice;tl it. iiee what an ingenuous pureon i am. lam charmed to return to our old lifn t«?ain. Unruffled felicity suits* my couttuution best, i:rnoiK'iu of any bind I tiDhor, und wo wero very Xieaceiul btfore. tboso people cmo. Suppose we three have a gallop across the park K'j celebraty our dehvo'unce? Get ready, -ililured, end I will order Use horses.' it occurred to 'Vriotbenley two or three times i.tiut d>i>- that Su- ilellei-lt-igh uuderttood muuh b.atur what united his own constitution ihiit v/h.t suited hit* wife's. Her hfoiuu-t bo dull o.;!juyfci m this solitary ;/lm;«i, whom hey n>jij.;h jors lived too fur otr i'ui , uiuiM ihau '.vi ocua-ioii>il oi vici'a, Hi. iir g,,v,j hoi-lv' nuj/Wiy ouiy iui" a thott tiuo during '

Tho iiuronot unc hia wifu resumed their tilcl life iig i" ; BVi.rytiring Went on apparently as it had dono before ; only Mildrud grew more tick at hoart us time passed on, nnd she found no increase of happiness iv her lifo. sir Holitsioigh was kind to hur, but nover very cordial, if, by accident, ho overstepped the Übua.l boundary of inero courteay, there would bo a fluttering at Mildryd'a heart for a liitlo ; porhups tho current oi thoir life was about to turn ; but presently his old iudiii':reut manner would roappoar ; and thau ebo wouid reason wiih hoiaeif, and say over »nd over again, twenty times a day, ' J. am uuthiug to him,'

Alter tho'e slight i;.oiu'enta she would pink down, more deprived than eve". The inomtiut ha roUpsca into bia old iudiifore.ico, th'it uioinont tho would bef.',iu tocturiiig herself with imrmiscd ad to how ehu could have annoyed him, in what way she cuuld hiivo oliondoa nim, until she becitmo llLorou.rhly luitictable. The usual rouult of iheso self-oxuininations would be a foar that nho had been on Home ocoasion too iorward in bo;. , intmuur ; ami thi.u hho would withdraw furllrir iritohoraclf, HUurcO'y venturing !.•) rpeui't h'.'r husband iirac addrcsaid hor, Hud cvou then trembling -ss ebo spoke juaviiig noihititj to withdraw hor miud from hcrsell', rho bog.m ::■. Inn: to fail iv hiuMi; tho lost i-.pputito, color, iksh, Hirtrngtii, until, uri thufo iooiidh, morbid f(vnciet) liuut.'piiod, kuu wiih fast becoming tho f-baiiiv.v oi h< i i-.xnMV uAi.

tilt iiollesu.'ij,h taw s,othing of n.U this ' ii » lojjg us ovo vUi'i.'tf v/utit on Hmoothly, ho guve no in,ti.vi!ii;n i> tlv.tt iv which ho h.itl bo iitUu cor.i;ij t -ii, viz, bill wife's fooliugri Ouciiriioinilly, nu'iii , uuuoyanco, lio would Bpoiil: liiidiiiy to hur iv v quick, iraJ)oii'ju.i /.-lunuui , ; it mi/ht !ju but toe a monieut, but it wotiUto .uuo her such mis ry u:i in> ik.voj; drutim:, or ;.-olf--.ci.ii:iutiou, fuif, tuidery vi liur potittuu, com luuil to rkiidui. , h<jr, lor thu t inu, iu-.«t unhappy. [To be (i»Ui)iuc((.)