BETRAYAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10052, 12 February 1896, Page 3

BETRAYAL

NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.

BY B. L. FAHJISON, Author of" No. 119, Great Porter Square," " Qrlf," "The March of Fate," "For the Defence," "Aaron the Jew," etc. [An Rights Reserved.] SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS Chapters I. and 11.-John Fordlmm, at an early age, is loft an orphan; his stepmother, *vho acts as his guardian, has a son, Louis, two years younger than John. She maintains a deadly hat.i for John, perhaps owing to the division' of his father's property. Louis grows up with the same dislike. After many years of domestic unhappiness, ho becomes of age and leaves home. At the ago of 24 he falls in love with Barbara Maxwell. Her brother pesters John for money, which is given him. He marries Barbara without learning her true character. Maxwell joeringly tells John that she is all his own now. Chapters IV and V.-On the day of their marriage John and Barbara go to Paris Arriving at the hotel' John loaves his wife to unpack, while he goes round the city. He returns to the hotel to find that his wife has locked him out. By the aid of the manager ho is able to get through the window. lie finds the room in a deplorable state, and his wifo drunk on tho bed. Hor true character now dawns upon him, but he resolves to reclaim her. He transfers six brandy bottles from her box to his, Chapters VI. and VII.-In the morning Barbara promises to reform. The manager requests them to leave the hotel. John and his wiie seek another hotel. CHAPTER VII.— (Continued.) Annette was tho chambermaid, a tall, thin-faced, spare woman of middle age, and a stranger, observing hor and my wife together, would have supposed fchey had been long acquainted. Barbara was given to sudden and violent likings, and had once said to me, "I love impulsive people. They are ever so much bettor and so much more genuine than people who hum and ha, and want time to consider whothor they are fond of you or nob. They resemble spidora who, after watching for days and days, creep out of their cornerß when you least expect it, and bind you tight so that you can't move, and say, ' I have made lip my mind; lam going to oat you bit by bit."' I thought this epeochvery clevcr whon I first heard it, and I became immediately a worshipper of impulsiveness. That Barbara should strike up a suddon friendship with the now chambermaid did not, therefore, surprise me. Togotlier they

proceeded with the unpacking of Barbara's wardrobe, Barbara darting in upon me now and then to give me a kiss, " on the sly," sho whispered, " forshomustn'tsce." Then she would return to Annette, and they would laugh and balk, My letters written, I lit a cigar and took up a French newspaper. Once Barbara brought a peculiar flavour into the room, and I asked her what it WAS. " Cloves," replied; "Idoab on them." Sho popped one into my mouth, and said, " Now weare equal and you can't complain. Oh, John, promiso me never, never to eat onions alone. lam passionately fond of them, You aro beginning to find out all my littlo failings."

She ran into the bedroom to tell Annotto 1 the joke, and there was much giggling botween thorn. " How provoking !" she cried, darting in for the twentieth time. " I have mislaid the key of my small trunk. Lond 1110 your keys; perhaps one of them will fit." I gave her my bunch of keys, and sho was a long timo trying them. I took 110 notice of this, being engrossed in a feuilleton, and taking from the style in which the exciting incidents were describod a lesson for the novel I contemplated writing. " Not one of them will lit," said Barbara, throwing the keys into my lap. Shortly afterwards she called out, " Congratulate me, John, I have found my key. lb was in my pocket all the time. See what a bimplo littlo woman you liavo married; and you thought mo clever, you foolish boy !" So far as I can recall ray impressions I am endeavouring to describe them faithfully. I wont through many transitions of feeling in those days, now hoping, now despairing, now accusing myself of doing my wifo an injustice, now sternly convinced that I was right. On this day I was comfortcd, Barbara was so bright, so ingenious, and 1 * firmly believed she would keep the promiso she had given me. Sho brought into play all the arts and fascinations by which sho had beguiled mo in our courting days. Sho ordered me to take her for a drivo, to buy her violets, to drivo to the Magazin do Louvre to make purchases (where »ho selected a number of things she did nob need), to tako her to a famous restaurant to 1 dine—"it is so dull," sho said," to dino in a 1 stuffy little room all by oursclves"-and, 1 dinner over, she invited mo to accompany ' her to a theatro whero a comedy was being 1 played which Annette had told her was vory * amusing. 1 " I can't live withoub excitement,' sho 1 said. "I love theatres, I love bright 1 weather, I lovo flowors, I lovo handsome ' men—why do you look so grave, sir ? Do 1 you not love handsome women ? You are a ninny if you don't, and if you don't, sir, why did you marry mo?" Not long ago these playful sallies would • have filled mo with delight). Not so now; tho matrimonial chain had already sorely b galled me. I detected a false ring in her ' feverish gaiety; there was no hoart in it, ' nd I could nob enter into her humour. ' "If thoro is one thing I hate more than 5 another," alio added, "it is to bo crossed, 3 I must have my own way. Remembor * that, you dear boy." 1 She enjoyed tho comedy; I did not). I ' could not admire a play in which gross I immorality was the provocative of mirth. 3 lb was clover, it was witty, bub its wit ' and clevern were drawn from the flag--3 rant misconduct of husbands and wives, 0 and I could nob laugh at ib. " You are tho dearest boy," said Barbara, ' as wo drove to our hotel at midnight, " but you have imposed upon me shamefully, lb is ray belief you aro eighty years old." • Late as ib was the chambermaid was waiting for us, and she asked if she could a do anything for madamo. 3 "No, thank you, Annetto,"said Barbara; 13 then to mo, " is ib nob good of her to stop ' up for us? Sho is a perfect treasure. I } wonder if she would accepb an engagement ■* in an English family. She would bo ina valuable to us when wo coramonce houso- • hooping." Not knowing whether Annette under- ' stood English I rofrained, while she was prosoiit, from expressing my proforonco for English servants. It was to mo nothing in Annette's favour that she should havo recommended my wifo to go to a theatro where a comody of a distinctly immoral II tendency was being performed, though it II might certainly havo boon pleaded for hor that Frenchwomen aro in the habib of seeing ii' and enjoying plays of that kind ; but apart , from this there was something in the woman I disliked, and ray dislike was deepened before sho retired, My back was towards 0 hor and Barbara, and I was taking off my (1 light overcoat; facing a mirror, and in that mirror I saw some article pass from Annette's hand to the hand of my wife. It was secretly and swiftly done, with the unmistakable intention of concealing the a act from me, I did not distinguish what tho articlo was, further than it seoraod to 11 be a letter or a small packet. There was ,y no sign of ib when I turned towards them. My wife's face wore a Bmiie; Annette's was >• stolid and expressionless. Upon the woman's departure Barbara broke out into admiration of her and of d French servants generally. They were so polite, so quick to understand, so ready to J ' oblige; they would turn their hand to ,y anything in the house—not like English servants who wore always saying, " lb isn't 'I my place," when they wore told to do this or that. Not a word did she utter concerning tho article she bad received from ;o Annette, nor did I make any direct in- ' quirios concerning it. I was learning my 5 ' lessons rapidly, and I felt, if Barbara did 1 nob give mo her confidenco of her own freo I will, thab it would bo useless for mo to ask " for it in a straightforward manner.^ " There you stand with your serious face again," sho said, "You are eighty, or ly perhaps ninety. Dear mc I am alraiu 1 have made a great mistake. ..... is "Barbara," I said, gravely, it m a strange question, I know, but do you thiuk we are suited to one another ? II "Id is a strange question,' she replied, laughing. " My dear, we were mado for one '« another. Fie, love 1 Do you Jo thab marriagos are made in heaven ? "Ours, Barbara "Certainly, ours." Wonderful were tho inconsistencies or . J|er j •PM.WWQ'I qusstoning

whether she had nob made a mistake in marrying me, the next declaring thub our marriage was made in heaven. " I have nob a secret from you," I said. "Nor I from you," she returned. "I hope you agree with me, John, thab there should be perfect confidence bebween man and wife, that they should hide nothing from one another." "I do agree with you; nob even bhe smallest matter should be hidden." " Yes, John, love, nob even the smalleßb matter. Little things are often very important, and ib is so awkward to be found out. I am bo glad we are of one mind about this. When we were first ongagod I said to Maxwell, 'John shall know everything about me—everything. All my faults and failings —nothing shall be hidden from him. Then he can'b reproach me afterwards. I will be perfectly frank with him.' Maxwell called mo a fool, and said there were lots of things people oughb to keep to themselves, and that I should be horrified if I were told all the dreadful things you had done. _ He spoke of wild oats, and bachelors living alone, and tho lato suppers they had in their chambers with girls and all sorts of queer company. Bub I was determined. You might deceive me, but I would nob deceive you. I would nob have that upon my conscience." " You really kepb nothing from me, Barbara?" Nothing, lovo." " And you are keeping nothing from me now?" "Nothing, love." I did noG press her farther. Her smiling oyos looked into mine, and I had received ineontestible proof that she was lying to my face. CHAPTER VIII. I was an inveterate smokor, and at this period my favourito habit was a consolation to me. I smoked at all hours of tho day, and Barbara had encouraged mo, saying thab she loved the smoll of a cigar. But on the morning following the conversation I havo just recorded she complained that my cigar made her ill, and 1 went into tho boulevard to smoke it. When I had thrown away the stump I returned to the hotel to attend to my trunks, which were not yet unpacked. These trunks were in a small ante-room, the koy of which I had put in my pocket. I had adopted this precaution in order that they should not be in Barbara's sight, that she should not bo left alone with them, and that whon I unpacked thorn she should not see what they contained. Upon my return to tho hotel Barbara was in her bedroom, attending to her toilet, and Annette was with her. Ib was Barbara's first visit to Paris, and we had arranged to make tho round of its principal attractions. The first trunk I oponod was that in which I had deposited the fivo bottles of brandy I had found among Barbara's dresses. To

my astonishment they were gone. I was positive I had placed them thore, ( but to make suro I searched my second j trunk,'with the same result. The bottles had been abstracted. By whom, mid by | what moans ? < I settled the first point immediately. By whom bub Barbara ? Only she and I could ( have access to the boxes. It was not so easy to settle by what moans ( they had beon abstracted. I had placed the ( bottles at tho bottom of tho trunk, and my clothes wore as carefully folded as whon I ( had last locked it. This was manifestly tho j work of a cunning hand. Tho cunning hand was Barbara's. What kind of woman was I wedded to , who spoke so fair and acted so treacherously, who could smile in my faco with secret dosigns in her hearb against my peace and happiness? I could go even farther than that, and say against my honour. Fearful lest my indignation might cause mo to lose control over myself and lead to a scandalous scene, I locked tho trunk and left the hotol. In the open air I could more calmly review the deplorable position into which I had been betrayed. It is the correct word to use. Treacherously, basely, had I boen betrayed. I had never been weak enough to believe that the woman I had loved was perfection. Human faults and weaknesses I was prepared for, and would havo cheerfully encountered, but hero was brought home to me a frightful evil and duplicity to defend myself against which I had no weapons. I was in a trap. Barbara was rnino, and I was hers, till death did us part. Till death did us part! I mentally reposted the words again and again. Till death did us part—till doatli did us part. And, until that roleaae came, to love, honour, and cherish—what mockery, what mockery ! To sib by her side, to wink at her vices, to live with her day and night— thought was torture.

My mind was in a whirl of misery. I looked with bitterness at the evidences of bright life amidst) which I was moving. This lovely woman stepping briskly by, with eyes of heavenly blue, with* a skin white as alabaster, with a face like a newlyopened rose—strip her of bcr fair covering, and what there should 1 behold? Beneath the surface of all this animated life I seomod to see nothing but corruption. Faith in woman's purity and innocence !— I had it once,but now—? It was long before I was sufficiently composed to apply myself to the consideration of the plan by moans of which Barbara obtained tho bottles of brandy. The lock of tho trunk had not been tampered with, and 110 force had been used in opening it. She must have had a duplicate key. How did she become possessed of it ? I examined my keys, and I fancied I discerned braces of wax upon them. I inquired my way to tho nearest locksmith, and giving him the bunch asked whether an impression in wax had beon taken of any of thorn. " Of a certainty, monsieur," he said, "else I could not have made them." "Ib is you, then, who made tho duplicates ?" " Assuredly, it is I, monsieur." " Of how many ?" Of two, monsieur." "Of these two?" indicating the keys of my two trunks. " Exactly, monsieur." "From impressions in wax which you received." "Yes, yes, monsieur," he said, redundantly affirmative. " Have you come to ask for them ? But they were dolivered and paid for last night." "By a thin-faced, middle-aged woman, with grey eyes and a white face," " Tho description is perfect. I trust tho keys are to your satisfaction, and that they fib bhe locks." "They fib admirably," I said, and I gavo him good-morning. Annette ! She was in ray wife's pay; togetlior thoy had conspired against mo. Tho first practical step towards obtaining access 10 my boxes was taken when Barbara informed me that sho had mislaid ono of her keys, and borrowed my bunch; thon the impressions in wax, and Annette going to tho locksmith to give the order; then tho packet containing the keys which Annette had secretly convoyed to ray wife while my back was turned; thon Barbara's complaint this morning that my cigar made her ill, and my going out to smoke. During my absence my trunk was opened and rifled. Tho petty little mystery was solved. (To be continued on Saturday next.)