BETRAYAL OF JOHN FORDHAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10040, 29 January 1896, Page 4

BETRAYAL OF JOHN FORDHAM.

NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.

BY B. I. FABJKON, Author of "No. 110, Great Porter Square," "Grlf," "The March of Fate," "For the Defence," "Aaron the Jew," etc, (All Rights Reserved! SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Chapters I. and 11.-John Fordbam, at an early age, Is left an orphan; his stepmother, who acts as his guardian, has a son, Louis, two years younger than John. She maintains a deadly hate for John, perhaps owing to the division of his fathor's property. Louis grows up with the same dislike. After many yoars of domestic unhappiness, he becomes of age and leaves home, CHAPTER 111. For three years it was uneventful, I lived much alone, and mado a few friends, with one or another of whom I took a holiday every year on the Continent. Then an evonb occurred which gave birth to the startling incidents and experiences of my life. Ten years ago this month Barbara Landor and I were married. I was twenty-four, and Barbara was three years my senior. To a young man in love—as I must hare been at that time, though my foolings for ray wife soon undorwent change, and I look back upon them now with amazementsuch a disparity is nob likely to cause uneasiness. It did not cause me any. I was swayed entirely by my passionate dosire to mako the woman with whom I was infatuated my wife, I bad known her only a shorb time before I proposed, and was accepted. Our engagement was of but a few weeks'duration, and during our courtship I observed nothing in Barbara's maimer to disturb mo. No one warned me; no friend bado me pause beforo I bound myself irrevocably to a woman who was to be my ruin. Occasionally her face was rather flushed, and she was eager and norvous, which I ascribed to the excitement of our engagement. Her sparkling eyes, her rapid speech, the occasional trembling of her hands—all this I seb down to lovo. Sho confided to me that she had no fortune and that she had thought of seeking employment as a governess, or as a companion to a lady. Sho possessed great gifts, which, of courso, I magnified; she was a good musician, could speak French, German, and Italian fluently, and sang to me in thoso languages with u rich contralto voice. " Had ib nob boon for you," sho said, " I might even have got into the chorus ab tho opera." " Is not this bettor?" I askod, embracing her. "Much better," she replied, returning my embrace She was a handsomo woman, dark, tall, and commanding, and her nearest relative was a half-brother, Maxwell, much older than sho, for whom I had no special liking. Naturally, after I had drawn from Barbara an avowal of her lovo, I addressed myself to him. He stood towards her in tho light of a guardian, and she was living in nis house. In reply to his questions I was very candid as to my wordly position and prospects, and I professed myself satisfied; but I remembered afterwards thab whon I came courting his sister ho would look at mo with an expression of amusement on his features, as though he were enjoying a joke lie was keeping to himself. Ho was in tho habit of boasting that he was a man of tho world, and know every trick on the board. Ib was chiefly at his urging that the marriage was precipitated. " Long engagements are a mistake," he Baid. " Don't you think so ?" I replied that I was entirely of his opinion. "Thab simplifies matters," he said, " because I am going abroad. I shall not take a sister with me, you may depend upon that." It was a plain hint, and the wedding-day wa3 fixed. Soon aftor this, when I called to do my wooing, he told me that Barbara was nob well enough bo see me. " She has a frightful headache," he said, "and'is not in a condition to.aeo anybody." I was much distressed, and I askod if sho had a doctor. "Not necessary," he said. "She will get over it. When sho is in thab state best leave her alone, old follow. Thore's a hint for you in your matrimonial campaign. Barbara hate 3 the Bight of doctors; she is a delicate creature, vory highly strung, something of the full blooded racer about her, the kind of woman that requiries managing." " 1 shall be able to manage her," I said, confidently. "I should think you would," ho said, with a mocking smile. " Barbara and you are going to have a high old time of it. By the way, can you lend me a tonner for a few days ?" Ib was nob tho first time ho had askod mo for a loan, which was always to bo paid in a few days; bub he never returned a shilling of tho money ho borrowed from me. I gave- him the ten pounds, and inwardly resolved to have as little as possible to do with him after my marriage, I dobated with myself whether I should communicate the news of my engagement to my step-mother and Louis, and acting upon the advice of Barbara—to whom I gave a truthful relation of my child-IHo-I wrote to them in affectionate terms. To me no answer was roturned, but Barbara received a letter which she told me she tore up tho moment she read it. "Your stepmother must be an awful woman," she said, " bub we can do without her and her beaubiful son." It was very considerate of Barbara, I thought, nob to show me the letter, the tenor of which ib was not difficult to guess, bub I could not help looking grave. " No long faces, you dear boy," cried Barbara. "Do you think I believe a word sho says? Do you think I care for anyone but you ? If she hadn't beon the meanest creature living she would at least have sent a wedding present." The wedding was a very quieb one. A friend acted as ray best man, and a fow other of my friends woro presont. On Barbara's side thero was only Maxwell, who gave his sister away. She looked beautiful, and was in high spirits. The ceremony over wo hastened to Maxwell's house, whero I and my friends oxpected to sit down to a wedding breakfast. To my surprise there was nothing on tho tablo bub tho bridecake and a couple of bottles of wine. It was nob a time to ask for an explanation of this inhospitable wolcome to tho wedding gueste, bub I was deeply mortified, and I saw thab my friends were angry and offended. Maxwell made lighb of the matter ; he filled the glasses, and in a florid speech proposed tho health of the bride and bridegroom, to which I responded very briefly. " There is nothing else to walb for, I suppose," said my besb man, in a sarcastic tone. No one answered him, and with Bhrugs and half-hearted wishes for happiness he and tho other guosts took their departure, leaving Barbara and me and Maxwell alone. ? "Don'b quarrel with him," Barbara whispered to me; " he has the most awful temper." For her eake I put the best face I could upon tho slight thab had beon passed upon me. Maxwoll appeared to be unconscious that ho had behaved in any way offensively; he drank a. groab deal of wino, and urged Barbara to drink, but she refused. " A glass with mo, darling," I said. " To our future." Sho raised the glass to her lips, and set ib down, unbasted, with a shudder. I had noticed at the meals wo throo had together that sho drank nothing bub water. " You do not liko wine," I said. " I detest ib," she roplied. "I'll drink your share whenever yon call upon me," shouted Maxwoll. "She is quite right, ina'fc she, John? Milk for 1 women, wine for men." Ho was gobting intoxicated and began to troll out a song about wine and women. I strove to quiet him, but ho went on, laughing hilariously. Excited and enraged, II quickly emptied my glass, and was about to drink again, when Barbara laid her hand upon my arm. I put the full glass upon the table, at which Maxwell, who had been observing us, laughed louder still. " Maxwell! cried Barbara, angrily. "Barbara!" cried Maxwell, with his bold eyes upon her. " Well, my lady ?" They looked strangely at one anothor, and ib was Barbara, who first) lowered her

eyes. There was something threatening in Maxwell's glance, and she seemed to be frightened of him. I was nob sorry, for lac cepted it as an indication thatsbe would side with me in my desire nob to court his society when we returned from our honeymoon trip. We were to starb for the Continent in the evening, and there were still two or three hours before us. To pass this interval of time in Maxwell's company was nob a pleasant prospect, but I scarcely knew how to avoid it. He evinced no disposition to leave Barbara and me together, and I felt awkward and oub of place, and really as if it was I who was intruding. The house was his, and in a certain sense we were hi 9 guests. A bright idea occurred to me. I proposed that Barbara should dress for our journey, and that we should go and lunch at an hotel. Barbara, however, said alio could nob eat, and Maxwell cried boisterously. " What are you thinking of, brother-in-law ? A new-born bride siting down to eat at an hotel on her wedding-day. She would sink to the ground in shame, wouldn't she, Barbara ! But I accept your invitation with pleasure, my boy. I am famished, and you must be. I insist upon you fortifying yourself; it is a duty you owo to Barbara and to society at large. With what is before you, it is absolutely necessary that you should keep up y° ur strength. Take my word for it; I'm an older bird than you. Let us go. Barbara will nibble a biscuit, or make a meal off a butterfly's wing, if she can catch one." I turned to Barbara, and she whispered that ib would be best. She was tired, and would lie down while wo were away. _ I saw that she was weary, and disgusted with her brothor's behaviour, so to save her from further annoyance I consented to go with Maxwell. " I don't like to leave yon for a moment, darling," I said, " but I must gob him away. I shall be back in good time; be sure you are ready.'' I said this smiling, as if I roferred to a woraans proverbial failing in seldom being ready at an appointed time when eho has to dress for a journey, or a dinner, or anything in fact, ' She did nob return smile for smile. In a weak, helpless way she clung to him for a moment, and then abruptly left the room. " Oh, turtle doves, turtle doves!" oxclaimed Maxwell, hooking his arm in mine, as we walked along. "Oh, golden day, with love's febtors binding ono fast! Auspicious epoch in a man's carcor when he is strung up for lifo ! Love, honour, and obey, and till that sorb of thing. Connubial blies, Darby and Joan, till death doth us part. Not for me, my boy, not for mo; but for every man to his taste. Fol-dc-riddle! Chorus of infatuated bridegrooms— fol-de-riddlo, fol-do-riddlo!" " Hold your tongue," I said botweon my teeth, " or I'll nob stay with you another moment." " Right you are, my sensitive plant," ho returned. " I'm mum as tho inside of a 6crewed-down coffin." But he continued to sing softly to himself, and to chucklo as ho cast furtive glances ab rao. In such circumstances ib was nob likely that I could onjoy my meal, and I sat for the most part doing nothing, while Maxwell disposed of the various courses ho ordered. Drinking did not, affect his appetite, and ho would have kept at the table all tho day had I not called for the bill. " Time to go, eh ? Love's call musb be obeyed/' he said, rising, and pouring out the last glass of wino in the bottle. With . his loft hand on the table ho steadied himself, I and hold up tho glass. " You're not half a bad sort, John, but you're a bit soft. You want burdening, my boy, and you'll geb it." " What do you mean ?" I asked. " What do I mean ! Why, that Barbara's all your own now, all your own. Well, hero's a happy honeymoon to the fond couple." He drained the glass. I hardly knew how to take his words, and I did nob answer him. On our way back ho borrowed twenty pounds of mo, and I determined it should be the last he would ever get from me. I was strongly inclined at first to refuse, but 1 was afraid ho would make a scene, and so for Barbara's sake I gave him the money. " Thank you, John," he said, pocketing the noted. " You're a trump, but a trillo greon. Here wo are at tho house. What a jolly wedding day" , I could have struck the mocking devfl in the face, for by this time 1 was thoroughly out of tomper; but, again for dear Barbara's sake, I rofrainod from uttering the hot words that rose to my lips. The carriage was at the door and my wife was ready. Maxwell opened his arms for a parting embrace, bub Barbara slipped from him and entered the carriage. As it moved away I caught a last glimpse of him standing on the doorstop laughing immoderatoy, and I almost fancied I heard him call after us " What a jolly wodding day !" (To be continued on Saturday next.)