The Law and the Lady

as a moment of silence amo

me. "Or shall we go on to Broadstairs,

ust have been more or less than woman if my self-respect had not been wounded, if my curiosity had not been wrought to the highest pitch, by the extraordinary conduct of my husband's mother when Eustace presented me to her. What was the secret of her despising him, and pitying me? Where was the explanation of her incomprehensible apathy when my name was twice pronoun

I said. "Let us go bac

he landlady. The lan

. "I have some business to do at Broadstairs, and, now I am

nd at that moment) I entirely failed to comprehend. There was neither time nor opportunity to ask her what she meant. With a s

we wer

wasted no words in prefatory phrases. In t

ur mother's c

ike any sound I had ever yet heard issue from his lips, so strangely and shockingly foreign to hi

ike yourself," I said.

e pursuing some pleasant train of

a man who felt irresistibly diverted by some humoro

what has happened, surely it

see the jok

hing in your mother's language and your mother's behavior w

nduct would be the last thing in the world that you would expect from me. The idea of taking m

isgiving which, with all my love for him, it was impossible to resist. In unutterable distress and alarm I asked myself, "Is my husband beginning to deceive me? is he acting a part, and acting it badly, b

our mother," I said, gently. "Wil

understand herself," he answered. "But I will try. The key to

met on the beach, "Eccentricity" would have been that word. A child who had seen what I saw, who had he

o understand my mother, do what I asked you to do a minute since-

was walking just behind her, when

rposed. "The letter wa

"Why should your mother d

ear. Eccentricity! My mother's odd

as walking behind her. She could not have known of the exis

suppose,

ertain

don't know my m

ose all pati

mother was out on the sands to-day for the ex

htest doubt of it,"

n your mother's hearing, and twice over, I declare to you on my word of honor, it failed to produce the sl

ty about a daughter-in-law she disapproves of. If I had not joined you when I did, you would have been examined and cross-examined about yourself and about me, and you would innocently have answered under the impression that you were speaking to a chance acquaintance. There is my mother all over! She is your enemy, remember-not your friend. She is n

ushing sense of disenchantment and despair! The idol of my worship, the companion, guide, pro

ch said one thing at least for him, that he was not accustomed to falsehood and deceit. Good Heavens! if my husband was to be believed, his mother must have tracked us to London, tracked us to the church, tracked us to the railway station, tracked us to Ramsgate! To ass

hat there was an abyss in the shape of a family secret between my husband and me. In the

ed, "have you not

thi

atisfied with

w well. Among the hundred thousand mysterious influences which a man exercises over a woman who loves him, I doubt if there is any more irresistible to her than the influence of his voice. I am not one of those women who shed tears

and took me by the hand

. I was ashamed of my weakness and my want of

opped on his knees at my feet, with a cry o

ked hurt; you looked offended; I didn't know what to do. I wanted to spare you even a moment's pain-I wanted to hush it up, and have done with it. For God's sake don't ask me to tell you any more! My love! my angel! it's something between my mother and me; it's nothing that need disturb you; it's nothing to anybody now. I love yo

tterable misery was in his voice. Remem

id, sadly. "For your sake, Eu

s gratitude than that. The sense of embarrassment between us as we slowly walked on again was so unendurable that I actually cast about in m

s a drowning man seizes on

I could estimate what he was suffering by the violence which he-ordinarily a silent and thoughtful man-was now doing to his true nature, and to the prejudices and habits of his life. With the greates

he called after me suddenly

with him, in the narrow limits of a vessel, with his horrible secret parting us in sy

I said. "Will you give me a little l

ile you are resting-there are still one or two little things to be settled-I think I

thank you

s, if he were left by himself in the house. Was the company of t

I know about him or his though