BETRAYAL OF JOHN FORDHAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10067, 29 February 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

BETRAYAL OF JOHN FORDHAM.

NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.

BY B. L. FABJEON, Author of "No. 110, Groat Porter .Square," " Grif," "The March of Fate." "For the Defence," " Aaron the Jew," etc [All Rights Reserved.) CHAPTER Xl-(Oontinud.) Wrapt in our gloomy thoughts we pursued our way. We had been directed to a wayside inn, where there was a likelihood of Barbara and his wife having obtained shelter. Ib was now two o'clock, and the night had changed. Dark clouds obscured the stars, the wind was rising. Tho gloom which surrounded us was in keeping with tho gloom which dwelt in our souls, there was a kindred raournfulnoss in the rustling of the leaves; when we walked through grass our footsteps seemed to give forth sobs. There was a trellis of vines in front of the inn to which we had been directed, and benches and tables for the accommodation of customers, tallying with tho description given to us of the place. No light shone in the windows ; darkness and stillness reignod.

Many minutes elapsed bofore our rude summons at the door was acknon ledgod ; then a casemonb was thrown up, and a man's voice inquired what was wanted. "Two ladies are in your house," I answered, taking it for granted ; "we are in search of them." " But who are you who come ab this hour after ladies ?" asked the man. " Answer our question first," I demanded. " Are tho ladies We?" "Two ladies are hero, truly." "Admit us then. Wo are their husbands." " Oh, in that case," said the man, and descending opened tho door, holding a light above his head. By this time his wife had joined him, and to her we addressed our inquiries. She seemed suspicious of us, and asked how were thoy to know we were what wo represented ourselves to be. "That is easily proved," I said; "take us to them." No, she would not consent to that ; she would herself go up and speak to tho ladies. Tho reasonableness of the proposition was not to bo disputed, and we waited for her return. Coming back, she iuformed us that the ladies had lockod their door, and she had not been able to make them hear. I said we would make them hear, but she refused to show us their room. "Ib may well bo," she said, "thab the ladies would not wish to see them." "Ib may easily be so," said the man, who, as I judged from his mannor, was well under his wife's thumb. "The morning will soon dawn. It will nob hurt bo waib till then. Tho gontlemon can be accommodated till the ladies wake."

I turned to my companion. He said it would be best not to mako a disturbance, and that there was some satisfaction in our having found them at last. 1 acquiesced, and we said wo would ongago a room for the night with two beds. " Five francs," said the woman, sharply, and became more civil when I handed her tho money. Would wo have wino? No, we required no wine. Or English brandy ? They had some in the cellar. " Of which the ladies partook ?" quickly questioned Mr. Ramsay. How did monsieur guess? Ye 9, tho ladies had some; they wero cold and fatigued when they arrived ab tho inn. Mr. RamsAy sighed ; ib was as ho feared, and as I know without troubling to ask questions. In our room—a wretched apartment, with Wo wretched beds— Ramsay took up his position at the window, from which he could soo who passed in and out of the house; I threw myself, dressed, on tho bed, and tried to keep awake, bub could not ; in a few moments I was asleep. Doubtless ho enviod mo, and compared his lot with mine.

I slept so soundly that I did nob wake till the sun was high in the heavens. Mr. Ramsay was not in the room ; I went downstairs, and found him sitting on a bench benoath tho trellis of vines, his tace towards tho entrance. " You havo slopt well," he said. " I must have been tirod out," I replied. "I could nob close my eyes," ho responded, " and would not if I could." I asked him for news of our wives. "I have none to give," he said; "they have nob been out of their room, and the mistress of this hole still refuses to take me to thorn." Breakfhsb was laid before him, bub ho could nob partako of ib. I ordered a roll and coffee, and ate, having made up my mind that ib would not assist my purpose to resisb the demands of nature. "Are the ladies awake?" 1 asked of the mistress, who waited on me. She answered tbab she did nob know, bub she did know ; I saw ib in her face; and, moreover, they knew that we had tracked them down. Barbara was the leading spirit, and was acting with her usual cunning. " Wo must have patience," I said to my companion ; " they cannob keep their room for ever." Ib wa9 noon before the mistress of tho inn informed as that tho ladies would join us prosently. " Thoy have had a long sleep," she said ; " it has done thorn good. When we saw them approaching us I was outwardly cool and composed ; Mr. Ramsay was greatly agibatod. Ho hurried to his wife, who hardly dared to lift her eyes to his face, and thoy walked apart. " We havo had a splendid time," said Barbara in a gay tone. " Wasn't my dear old boy surprised?". " No," I replied, "I was quite prepared for something of the sort." " Indeed," sho said, looking at me with half-closed eyes, " if you take it thab way I may change my tuno." "I am prepared for that, also," I returned.

Tho gay tono with which she had greoted ma was assumed; there was no gaiety in her heart, and her face bore traces of dissipation ; she had not yob recovered from the effects of the liquor she had drank. "That poor creature," she observed, after a momentary pause, pointing to Mrs. Ramsay, was 80 hipped and melancholy that I took pity on her. Some husbands are brutes; it is dreadful to bo tyrannised over." "Did she complain to you of ber husband?" " Oh no, she is one of the uncomplaining sorb. She is dreadfully crushed; I don't think sho has spoken fifty words ainco wo left Geneva." " You did all the talking,then. That must have suited you." " Why 2" she asked, looking at me covertly again. " There was no dangor of your being contradicted. You are nob fond of contradiction." "Whab clever things my dear boy is Baying I" she exclaimed, and 1 perceived that she was both nottled and puzzled. " But he will nob geb me to quarrel with him. How I miss Annette ! Dear, good Annette I Why did you nob bring hor with you?" I laughed—nob with a light hoarfc, I confess—and turned to Mr. Ramsay, who was advancing towards me. Was ib my fancy that his manner was less cordial, or was ib thab I was inclined to tako a pessimistic view of everybody and everything? Beckoning me aside he said, in a constrained voice— " I am afraid I spoke ton freely last night, I trust you will respect my confidence." "Haveno fears,"l replied. "I am no babbler. Do you take your wife to the retreat to-day J' " She goes to-day; a man has gone for a carriage, Ab,' ib is here, I see. Goodbye." "I wish you well," I said. I watched him aßsißb his wife into the carriage; it drove away, and they were Boon out of sight. " Upon my word," cried Barbara," thab is what I, call manners. . Nob so much an a bow, nob one word of thanks for all I have dona for them. You pick up nice companions, I musb say." , , .'' "I was under .the impression," I said, "that such : acquaintanceship as exists .botwoen us was due to you." i ,■ v "Oh, pub ib upon me, of course ; I am always tho. scapegoat.. <>Would any other nan subject his wife, to such jneu.(t3,^

In this strain she went on for some time, shifting, as usual, the responsibility of her actions to ray shoulders, and endeavouring to shield herself by accusation and recrimination. I did not dispute with her; nob a rotorb did I utter, bub listened in silence to tho astonishing statements sho made. Three or four villagers stopped to listen to hor, comprehending nothing of her language-she spoke in English— evidently convinced that here was a case of a persecuted wife and a monster of a husband. I was content that it should be so; I had nothing to gain or lose from their opinion of me. When her vocabulary of abuse was exhausted, sho exclaimed:

" Have you nothing to say for yourself ?" " Nothing," I replied, " that would have any weight with you." She was perplexed, and she asked impatiently, " Well, whab are you going to do now ?" Anything you please. I am ready to return to Geneva, or I will stay here if you prefer it." " Will you go and fetch Annetto?" "No." ft Furious and perplexed by ray attitude, she considered a moment or two before she spoke again. " Then we will go back ab once, Maxwoll may bo there, he will protect me." I called to the landlord for tho bill, and asked if he could prooure me a carriage to take us to Geneva. He said ho hud a conveyance, which he would drive himself, and 1 told him to add the charge to the bill. When it was presented*! offered it to Barbara; she thrust ib asido petulantly, and said she did not wish to seo it. "Here are tea francs charged for a bottle of brandy," I said. "It must havo been vile stuff." "It was," she answered; "I throw it out of the window." ■" I commend your wisdom," I said, and I paid the bill without further comment. Wo drove to Geneva in perfect silenco. Barbara throw herself back upon tho cushion and closed her eyes j I had enough to think about. At the Hotel de la Paix no romarks was made by the proprioter and waiters upon our return. i learned that Mr. Ramsay and his wife had arrived before us, had paid their bill and takon their departure. Annetto received us with profuse gladness, and waited upon Barbara with so much tact and assiduity that she said, " What should I do without you, Annette ?" "Madame should have taken me with her last night," said the woman. " I ought to have done so, Annette. It would have been ever so much bettor." Then to mo, with sly humility, "Do you objecb to me lying down for an hour or two ?" Accepting my dismissal, I was about to loave her, when she added, "You must nob banish mo again, dear John. It was very cruel of you. Como, Annette." There was no news of Maxwell, and I was pleased to bo spared his presence. Now, I cannob say whether tho scene which took placo later in the day between mo and Barbara was inspired by a communication which she had just received from Annette, or whether she had been already enlightened upon the subject, and had stored up the pretended grievance for uso againsb mo when she was in the humour for it. It matters little either way, and perhaps it would havo bean wiser for me to treab tho accusation with contempt; bub bhero are limits to a man's patience, and I could nob always koop control of myself. It was commenced by Barbara inquiring whether ray lady friend had followed us to Geneva, and by her answering the question hersolf.

" But of courao she has. You have laid your plans artfully. Keep her out of my way, or I'll stranglo her." " You are mad," I muttered, and indeed, I must either have believed so, or that she was at hor devil's tricks again. " Not yet," she screamed, and then I know that she had been drinking. " Not yet. You may drive me to in the end, but the end hasn'tcomo yet. No, not by many a long day, Johnnie, my dear! Only don't lot me get bold of her, or there'll bo murdor done."

" Tell me what you moan," I said, closing tho doors and windows, for I was anxious that the people in the hotel should nob hear. " And I may be able to answer you." " Where is tho lady's brooch you bought in Paris?" she asked. "Show ib to me, and I'll be satisfied. Well, where is it ?"

Then I recollectod that Annette had passed through the room of the hotel in Paris when I emptied my pockets there; I was looking at the brooch, debating what I should do with ib.

" You are thinking what to say," Barbara continued. " I will save you the trouble of inventing a lie. Say that you bought it for me."

"Ib would be the truth. I did buy it for you." " Give it me, then ; ib belongs to mo." " I cannot give it to you; I have parted with it."

" I knew ib without) your telling mo. You gave it to the other woman." " There is no other woman in the case. Be reasonable, Barbara. Things are bad enough, God knows, bub I can honestly say you have no cause for jealousy. The brooch was intended for you, bub I changed my mind, and returned it to the jeweller." " Not thinking ib suitable for rae." "Exactly. I did not think ib suitable : or you." " Tlio device was not appropriate, eh ?"

" lb was not appropriate." " I wonder you are tot ashamed to 100 l mo in the faco. It was a device of twi hearts entwined—yours and anothei woman's—and it was not a suitable device to offer to me, whom you had married but the day before 1" (I thought with dismay that Annette must have sharp eyes to have seen it in tliab brief moment when sho passed me, looking shyly on the ground.) " You are a clumsy liar, John. If you want to know, it was because I was maddened by your shameful conduct that I left you last night. I was sorry for it afterwards. I reasoned with myself, saying, he is my husband, and it is my duty to be by his side. That is why I was not sorry when you found mp this morning. You may break my heart, but I will never leave you again, never, never! Wow that I have found you out don't presume to lecture me again upon any little faults I may have— bub keep your woman out of my sight, my dear."

I argued no longer; my heart was filled with bitterness; the smallest of my actions was turned against me with such ingenuity as to render me powerless. I will not dwell upon the incidents that enlivoned the remaining weeks of this mockery of a honeymoon. Again and again did I find Barbara under the influence of drink, and again did I seok rofuge in silence, for every word I spoke was twisted into an accusation against myself. Wo saw nothing of Maxwell, and after a month's tour Barbara declared she was tired of foreign countries and foreign people, and yearned to take her proper place in our dear little homo in London. "Where you will discover," sho said (she was in one of her amiable moods), "that I am a model wife and a perfect treasure of a housekeeper." (To bo continued on Wednesday next.]