Elster's Folly by Mrs. Henry Wood (buy e reader .TXT) 📕

Story To His Wife Had Been Somewhat Forestalled. He Would Have Given Half

His Life That It Had Never Reached That Other Woman,  Miserable Old Sinner

Though She Was.

"You Are Trembling,  Anne; You Need Not Do So. It Is Not Against You That

I Have Sinned."

Yes,  She Was Trembling Very Much. And Val,  In His Honourable,  His

Refined,  Shrinking Nature,  Would Have Given His Life's Other Half Not

To Have Had The Tale To Tell.

It Is Not A Pleasant One. You May Skip It If You Please,  And Go On To The

Last Page. Val Once Said He Had Been More Sinned Against Than Sinning: It

May Be Deemed That In That Opinion He Was Too Lenient To Himself. Anne,

His Wife,  Listened With Averted Face And Incredulous Ears.

"You Have Wanted A Solution To My Conduct,  Anne--To The Strange

Preference I Seemed To Accord The Poor Boy Who Is Gone; Why I Could Not

Punish Him; Why I Was More Thankful For The Boon Of His Death Than I Had

Been For His Life. He Was My Child,  But He Was Not Lord Elster."

She Did Not Understand.

"He Had No Right To My Name; Poor Little Maude Has No Right To It. Do You

Understand Me Now?"

Not At All; It Was As Though He Were Talking Greek To Her.

"Their Mother,  When They Were Born,  Was Not My Wife."

"Their Mother Was Lady Maude Kirton," She Rejoined,  In Her Bewilderment.

"That Is Exactly Where It Was," He Answered Bitterly. "Lady Maude Kirton,

Not Lady Hartledon."

She Could Not Comprehend The Words; Her Mind Was Full Of Consternation

And Tumult. Back Went Her Thoughts To The Past.

"Oh,  Val! I Remember Papa's Saying That A Marriage In That Unused Chapel

Was Only Three Parts Legal!"

"It Was Legal Enough,  Anne: Legal Enough. But When That Ceremony Took

Place"--His Voice Dropped To A Miserable Whisper,  "I Had--As They Tell

Me--A Wife Living."

Slowly She Admitted The Meaning Of The Words; And Would Have Started From

Him With A Faint Cry,  But That He Held Her To Him.

"Listen To The Whole,  Anne,  Before You Judge Me. What Has Been Your

Promise To Me,  Over And Over Again?--That,  If I Would Tell You My Sorrow,

_You_ Would Never Shrink From Me,  Whatever It Might Be."

She Remembered It,  And Stood Still; Terribly Rebellious,  Clasping Her

Fingers To Pain,  One Within The Other.

"In That Respect,  At Any Rate,  I Did Not Willingly Sin. When I Married

Maude I Had No Suspicion That I Was Not Free As Air; Free To Marry Her,

Or Any Other Woman In The World."

"You Speak In Enigmas," She Said Faintly.

"Sit Down,  Anne,  Whilst I Give You The Substance Of The Tale. Not Its

Details Until I Am More Myself,  And That Voice"--Pointing To The Next

Room--"Is Not Sounding In My Ears. You Shall Hear All Later; At Least,  As

Much As I Know Myself; I Have Never Quite Believed In It,  And It Has Been

To Me Throughout As A Horrible Dream."

Indeed Mr. Carr Seemed To Be Having No Inconsiderable Amount Of Trouble,

To Judge By The Explosions Of Wrath On The Part Of The Dowager.

She Sat Down As He Told Her,  Her Face Turned From Him,  Rebellious

At Having To Listen,  But Curious Yet. Lord Hartledon Stood By The

Mantelpiece And Shaded His Eyes With His Hand.

"Send Your Thoughts Into The Past,  Anne; You May Remember That An

Accident Happened To Me In Scotland. It Was Before You And I Were

Engaged,  Or It Would Not Have Happened. Or,  Let Me Say,  It Might Not;

For Young Men Are Reckless,  And I Was No Better Than Others. Heaven Have

Mercy On Their Follies!"

"The Accident Might Not Have Happened?"

"I Do Not Speak Of The Accident. I Mean What Followed. When Out Shooting

I Nearly Blew Off My Arm. I Was Carried To The Nearest Medical Man's,  A

Dr. Mair's,  And Remained There; For It Was Not Thought Safe To Move Me;

They Feared Inflammation,  And They Feared Locked-Jaw. My Father Was

Written To,  And Came; And When He Left After The Danger Was Over He Made

Arrangements With Dr. Mair To Keep Me On,  For He Was A Skilful Man,  And

Wished To Perfect The Cure. I Thought The Prolonged Stay In The Strange,

Quiet House Worse Than All The Rest. That Feeling Wore Off; We Grow

Reconciled To Most Conditions; And Things Became More Tolerable As I Grew

Better And Joined The Household. There Was A Wild,  Clever,  Random Young

Man Staying There,  The Doctor's Assistant--George Gordon; And There Was

Also A Young Girl,  Agnes Waterlow. I Used To Wonder What This Agnes Did

There,  And One Day Asked The Old Housekeeper; She Said The Young Lady Was

There Partly That The Doctor Might Watch Her Health,  Partly Because She

Was A Relative Of His Late Wife's,  And Had No Home."

He Paused,  As If In Thought,  But Soon Continued.

"We Grew Very Intimate; I,  Gordon,  And Miss Waterlow. Neither Of Them Was

The Person I Should Have Chosen For An Intimacy; But There Was,  In A

Sense,  No Help For It,  Living Together. Agnes Was A Wild,  Free,  Rather

Coarse-Natured Girl,  And Gordon Drank. That She Fell In Love With Me

There's No Doubt--And I Grew To Like Her Quite Well Enough To Talk

Nonsense To Her. Whether Any Plot Was Laid Between Her And Gordon To

Entrap Me,  Or Whether What Happened Arose In The Recklessness Of The

Moment,  I Cannot Decide To This Hour. It Was On My Twenty-First Birthday;

I Was Almost Well Again; We Had What The Doctor Called A Dinner,  Gordon A

Jollification,  And Agnes A Supper. It Was Late When We Sat Down To It,

Eight O'clock; And There Was A Good Deal Of Feasting And Plenty Of Wine.

The Doctor Was Called Out Afterwards To A Patient Several Miles Distant,

And George Gordon Made Some Punch; Which Rendered None Of Our Heads The

Steadier. At Least I Can Answer For Mine: I Was Weak With The Long

Illness,  And Not Much Of A Drinker At Any Time. There Was A Great Deal Of

Nonsense Going On,  And Gordon Pretended To Marry Me To Agnes. He Said Or

Read (I Can't Tell Which,  And Never Knew Then) Some Words Mockingly Out

Of The Prayer-Book,  And Said We Were Man And Wife. Whilst We Were All

Laughing At The Joke,  The Doctor's Old Housekeeper Came In,  To See What

The Noise Was About,  And I,  By Way Of Keeping It Up,  Took Agnes By The

Hand,  And Introduced Her As Mrs. Elster. I Did Not Understand The Woman's

Look Of Astonishment Then; Unfortunately,  I Have Understood It Too Well

Since."

Anne Was Growing Painfully Interested.

"Well,  After That She Threw Herself Upon Me In A Manner That--That Was

Extraordinary To Me,  Not Having The Key To It; And I--Lost My Head. Don't

Frown,  Anne; Ninety-Nine Men Out Of A Hundred Would Have Lost Theirs; And

You'll Say So If Ever I Give You The Details. Of Course Blame Attached To

Me; To Me,  And Not To Her. Though At The Time I Mentally Gave Her,  I

Assure You,  Her Full Share,  Somewhat After The Manner Of The Pharisee

Condemning The Publican. That Also Has Come Home To Me: She Believed

Herself To Be Legally My Wife; I Never Gave A Thought To That Evening's

Farce,  And Should Have Supposed Its Bearing Any Meaning A Simple

Impossibility.

"A Short Time,  And Letters Summoned Me Home; My Mother Was Dangerously

Ill. I Remember Agnes Asked Me To Take Her With Me,  And I Laughed At Her.

I Arranged To Write To Her,  And Promised To Go Back Shortly--Which,  To

Tell You The Truth,  I Never Meant To Do. Having Been Mistaking Her,

Mistaking Her Still,  I Really Thought Her Worthy Of Very Little

Consideration. Before I Had Been At Home A Fortnight I Received A Letter

From Dr. Mair,  Telling Me That Agnes Was Showing Symptoms Of Insanity,

And Asking What Provision I Purposed Making For Her. My Sin Was Finding

Me Out; I Wondered How _He_ Had Found It Out; I Did Not Ask,  And Did Not

Know For Years. I Wrote Back Saying I Would Willingly Take All Expenses

Upon Myself; And Inquired What Sum Would Be Required By The Asylum--To

Which He Said She Must Be Sent. He Mentioned Two Hundred A-Year,  And From

That Time I Paid It Regularly."

"And Was She Really Insane?" Interrupted Lady Hartledon.

"Yes; She Had Been So Once Or Twice Before--And This Was What The

Housekeeper Had Meant By Saying She Was With The Doctor That Her Health

Might Be Watched. It Appeared That When These Symptoms Came On,  After I

Left,  Gordon Took Upon Himself To Disclose To The Doctor That Agnes Was

Married To Me,  Telling The Circumstances As They Had Occurred. Dr. Mair

Got Frightened: It Was No Light Matter For The Son Of An English Peer To

Have Been Deluded Into Marriage With An Obscure And Insane Girl; And The

Quarrel That Took Place Between Him And Gordon On The Occasion Resulted

In The Latter's Leaving. I Have Never Understood Gordon's Conduct In The

Matter: Very Disagreeable Thoughts In Regard To It Come Over Me

Sometimes."

"What Thoughts?"

"Oh,  Never Mind; They Can Never Be Set At Rest Now. Let Me Make Short

Work Of This Story. I Heard No More And Thought No More; And The Years

Went On,  And Then Came My Marriage With Maude. We Went To Paris--_You_

Cannot Have Forgotten Any Of The Details Of That Period,  Anne; And After

Our Return To London I Was Surprised By A Visit From Dr. Mair. That

Evening,  That Visit And Its Details Stamped Themselves On My Memory For

Ever In Characters Of Living Fire."

He Paused For A Moment,  And Something Like A Shiver Seized Him. Anne Said

Nothing.

"Maude Had Gone With Some Friends To A Fete At Chiswick,  And Thomas Carr

Was Dining With Me. Hedges Came In And Said A Gentleman Wanted To See

Me--_Would_ See Me,  And Would Not Be Denied. I Went To Him,  And Found It

Was Dr. Mair. In That Interview I Learnt That By The Laws Of Scotland

Miss Waterlow Was My Wife."

"And The Suspicion That She Was So Had Never Occurred To You Before?"

"Anne! Should I Have Been Capable Of Marrying Maude,  Or Any One Else,  If

It Had? On My Solemn Word Of Honour,  Before Heaven"--He Raised His Right

Hand As If To Give Effect To His Words--"Such A Thought Had Never Crossed

My Brain. The Evening That The Nonsense Took Place I Only Regarded It As

A Jest,  A Pastime--What You Will: Had Any One Told Me It Was A Marriage I

Should Have Laughed At Them. I Knew Nothing Then Of The Laws Of Scotland,

And Should Have Thought It Simply Impossible That That Minute's Folly,

And My Calling Her,  To Keep Up The Joke,  Mrs. Elster,  Could Have

Constituted A Marriage. I Think They All Played A Deep Part,  Even Agnes.

Not A Soul Had So Much As Hinted At The Word 'Marriage' To Me After That

Evening; Neither Gordon,  Nor She,  Nor Dr. Mair In His Subsequent

Correspondence; And In That He Always Called Her 'Agnes.' However--He

Then Told Me That She Was Certainly My Legal Wife,  And That Lady Maude

Was Not.

"At First," Continued Val,  "I Did Not Believe It; But Dr. Mair Persisted

He Was Right,  And The Horror Of The Situation Grew Upon Me. I Told All To

Carr,  And Took Him Up To Dr. Mair. They Discussed Scottish Law And

Consulted Law-Books; And The Truth,  So Far,  Became Apparent. Dr. Mair Was

Sorry For Me; He Saw I Had Not Erred Knowingly In Marrying Maude. As To

Myself,  I Was Helpless,  Prostrated. I Asked The Doctor,  If It Were Really

True,  Why The Fact Had Been Kept From Me: He Replied That He Supposed I

Knew It,  And That Delicacy Alone Had Caused Him To Abstain From Alluding

To It In His Letters. He Had Been Very Angry When Gordon Told Him,  He

Said; Grew Half Frightened As To Consequences; Feared He Should Get Into

Trouble For Allowing Me To Be So Entrapped In His House; And He And

Gordon Parted At Once. And Then Dr. Mair Asked A Question Which I Could

Not Very Well Answer,  Why,  If I Did Not Know She Was My Wife,  I Had Paid

So Large A Sum For Agnes. He Had Been Burying The Affair In Silence,  As

He Had Assumed I Was Doing; And It Was Only The Announcement Of My

Marriage With Maude In The Newspapers That Aroused Him. He Had Thought

I Was Acting This Bad Part Deliberately; And He Went Off At Once To

Hartledon In Anger; Found I Had Gone Abroad; And Now Came To Me On My

Return,  Still In Anger,  Saying At First That He Should Proceed Against

Me,  And Obtain