Studies in Wives

sband, the respected Town Clerk of Market Dalling, were giving in honour of the event, appeared to her no reason why she should sit in her parlour with ha

gave access to her garden-one of those fragrant walled gardens which still

ant figure of a woman who sat in a summer-house situated at the extreme end of the garden; and as Mrs. Rigby gazed thoughtfully at this, her other w

t, a certain Matilda Wellow, who had been her bridesmaid twenty-five years ago to-day, and who

and a moment later she was looking up at a tall, straight, still young-looking man, who,

claimed in half-pretended dismay. "Didn't you k

the habit of hearing him speak. "I dressed out of compliment to you, Kate, and because-well, I've

gazed out with quick, sensitive ap

l gardener, Kate,"

ning," she said drily. "With the grand ladies you

-six, and yet she managed to convey an impression of age. This was partly owing to her unsuitable dress, for Mrs. Rigby was wearing a dark blu

David was twelve years younger than herself, and, with one exception, he had never caused her a moment's real unhappiness or unease. The exception, however, h

Rosaleen Tara-to give her the stage name by which her charming rendering of the old national ballads had made her widely k

ging consent, to the musical stage. Then, on the very day Banfield had been expecting his wife home for a short holiday, there had come from

urgency, and to Matthew Rigby's more measured advice, that Banf

her mind of its having been the wisest thing for her brother's happiness and peace. But Matthew Rigby, cautious member of a cautious

y the child's nurse, an old Irishwoman, who, if devoted to the child, was incapabl

at of her half-brother, and yet the two seldom met-and they met almost daily-wi

hought you meant sending the

e face. "I can't think what prevented it, unless-well, there's been rather

. He said your housekeeper turned the younger maid, old Hornby's daughter, out of

the floor; quite unconscious of her actio

he asked, in a low, tense voice. "It's the talk of

t any rate, not mentioned. "I can't dismiss Mary Scanlan now-she must stay on till Rosy goes to school. That won't be for very long, fo

onfess himself worsted by the old and ill-tempered Irishwoman, who, together with little Ros

ally "stood up" to her. She had had the notion, so curiously common in England, that your Irishwoman is invariably slatternly, untruthful, and good-natured; but in Mary Scanlan

ughts to surge up round her, David Banfield was watching

she seemed to have forgotten the

ave never thought, Dave, that there might

man, situated as I have been these last four years, but thinks of a second marriage as a way ou

y?" asked Mrs. Ri

course, no one can answer for another, and yet, Kate, if a

his heart of hearts, he hoped that what he had said would put an end to a painful discussion. But any such hope was

n old woman, and you're a young man!" and sh

to die away on her lips-"I should have felt myself free to do exactly what suited me best! Surely, when you go out among your grand county frie

eagerly, furtive

de and jealousy, the more so that it had begun in the days of his pretty wife, whose modest professional fame had preceded her, and made her a welcome addition to county gat

y had fully expected her brother to make another, maybe as disastrous a matrimonial experim

second marriage, either in the county set, or in the little town world of Ma

matter of that I still feel-about Rosaleen. But for the war-but for the getting clear away-I don't know what I should have done! Once, when I was out there in a little out-of-the-way station, I saw an old bill with her name on it, put up, of course, before I met her, when she wa

so much by the violence of his feeling, as

nd walked qu

lan,-I know she's been a faithful servant to you,-but wouldn't it be better for Rosy if you had someone who could look after the house, as well as after her? Even you admit that you cannot go on at the Brew House as you've been doing la

ou think I know that? But where am I to find the 'nice, kin

guished her Banfield forefathers. The Brew House was full of fine old furniture, furniture which some of the young brewer's "grand" friends envied him; but

f, but who often thinks of you," said Mr

ttle society of Market Dalling. He regarded them all with indifference, rising in some cases to positive dislike, and since

you were always apt to fancy that the girls were after me, and I can't say that you e

't exactly a girl; she's just what we were talking about-a

n you poss

u've never noticed how much she likes you. Why, she's the only person in Market Dalling who ever takes

se I like her, and think well of her, but I've never thought of h

ly. "There's none so blin

e remained quite silent, and withdrew h

h, perhaps unfortunately for himself, held none of the glamour of the unknown. As a matter of fact, the letter was now in his pocket, and he felt gu

there were only two ways open to him-either to go away and make a new life, or to attem

tance of an only alternative. Perhaps the very fact that the young man was so familiar with her personality, w

at Miss Wellow was the wealthiest spinster in Market Dalling, Banfield gave no

iss Wellow would not-" he hesitated awkwardly, "think it strange of me, I will do as you advise, Kate. But you must let me take my own time. Perhaps when she's heard what I've got t

o acute a feeling-it almost amounted to pain-of passionate relief, and David Banfield, dimly gathering that it was so, felt exce

ne another and she, so chary of c

all, life does get smoothed out, doesn't it? I'll tell you something about myself that I've never told anybody.

cing at the sound of his late w

ver guess that?" sh

lks when I was a kid, and

she would have been a wiser woman, but

e cried. "Think of what that poor fell

too much for

at that poor fellow might have become if he had married me!' I don't believe any

n-law, Matthew Rigby, came into the room, with

da!" she cried. "Tiddy dear, come in! Matt

in wait for her-indeed, in spite of, or perhaps because of, her moment of softening, she was sharply, almost cruelly, intolera

edding festivity was

at fact, nor the equally excellent champagne-for Matthew Rigby was too shrewd a man to drink bad wine-had had the effect

ntly uncomfortable; as he looked from one to the

ubject of Brew House domestic difficulties. Mrs. Rigby was also unnaturally silent, and during the long course of the meal she uttered none of the sharp pungent sayings with which she generally enlivened each one of her husband's repasts

etty girl! Soft and round, with dewy brown eyes and pink dimpled cheeks. She still had the appealing, inconsequent manner which, so charming in a girl, is apt to be abs

h a curious mixture of affectionate contempt and respect, the former due to his knowle

rences,-the melancholy domestic story of David Banfield remained painfully vivid. On him had fallen all the arrangements which had finally resulted in the divorce, and, unlike his wife,

-in-law's odd, abstracted manner, meant that any tidings had been received of the woman who had now so completely passed out of their lives. But

wilit sitting-room, the hostess lost no time in unceremoniou

ime since the great day when her brother's divorce had become an absolute fact, Mrs. Rigby seemed inclined to be soft and t

hese human beings Mrs. Rigby could certainly have claimed a high place. Matthew Rigby was, therefore, the more surprised, even, perhaps, a li

tly towards the two figures which were now disappearing into the rustic arbour, which, erected by Mrs. Rigby's father-in-law, some thirty years ago, had alw

n some decorous form of oath to express his extreme surprise. His pause prolonged itself, and then, with a certai

st on a level, but even she could guess nothing from his expression

to him?" she asked, a note of wistful anxiety in her voi

u ever heard me say so. Still, I daresay it's all right; you generally know best,"-and the husband spoke with less irony than m

ely to him, "surely, Matt, you don't doubt that Matilda W

ut still, she's not exactly the woman I'd have chosen for myself, a

nt, and when they approached the window a glance at her future sister-in-law's face was enough. She saw that David had spoken, but she also saw that he h

ng the Rigbys good-night, did the young man say the word which let loose Matilda's incoherent

ed out the two m

't be silly!"

ords had

st a dream come true! I never thought, Kate,

man checked

t kind of man he'd make you remember this to your dying day. You're lowering yourself-an

h, "There, there, I shouldn't have said that, I know. Bu

old Georgian house where Miss Wellow had now lived for some five years in solitary spinster state, and

ns, she had a tyrant, a Cerberus in the shape of a faithful servant who would now be sitting up waiting sulkily for her mistress's

in the deep shadow of the wall, his companion threw her arms about him, murmuring, with a catch in her voice, "I know you don't

g on his breast-Banfield bent and kissed her; then he turned on his heel, leaving

towards the flat open country, for he had a fierce, unreasoning desire to be alone-far away from all humankind. As he strode along, his eyes having become so fully accustomed to the dim light that he c

repentance for the word said which might so well have been left unsaid,

rced on him by Rosaleen herself. But to-night he realised that before doing what he had just done he had been free-

of his surrender, Banfield remembered each word of his talk with

d been his imagination when he had thought of the woman, whose tears had but just now scalded his lips, as of a kind, unobtrusive lady housekeeper! He was now aware that there was another Matilda Wellow, of whom till to-night he had been ignora

e thing happened

to the distant, and yet in a spiritual and even physi

hat is, his own lack of constancy-had the odd effect of making him feel lowered to the level to which those about him regarded Rosa

Then for a while he had flung everything to the winds in order to be with her-on any terms. He remembered with a pang of pain the trifling reasons which at last made her quite suddenly consent to become his wife. A quarrel with the manager of the concert company to which sh

dorned of weddings, celebrated in a small, bare Roman Catholic chapel, the incumbent of which, a wise old man, had spoken to Banfield very seriously, asking him to give the y

to remind Rosaleen of her religious obligations, and at the time of the divorce acting, in the matte

s he and Rosaleen had spent together at Market Dalling. They had been years of secret drama, on his part of almost wordless struggle for some kin

ses of disagreement, trifling matters-or so he had considered the

t to the close friendship and intimacy of David Banfield's young wife, these were the things-forming such unimportant asides to the course of th

eld a sudden understanding of what Rosaleen had felt, caged, as he had caged her, in the little town to which he wa

ossessed of the necessary imagination, to make another lif

was in its way as irrevocable as what she on her side had done-nay more, the very fact that he had Matilda Wellow so completely at his mer

es through which had run so strange a stream of violent revolt and emotion, and he was so far rewarded that almost at once some

onted with the spare form and the gaunt, though not ill-visaged countenance of Mary Scanlan, the elderly Irishwoman who had for so long waged triumphant battle with her master's sister, Mrs. Ri

action to which he had just pledged himself, Banfield invited the woman into the dining-room,

sekeeper. "I think it right that you should be among the first to k

quiescence or an outburst of anger; he had known Mary Scanlan in both mo

y little Rosy's clothes, for you will be sending her to the convent rather sooner, I reckon, than you meant to do. I make no doubt the n

at the woman in

-then added: "Of course, I mean to keep my promise to her mother,

been amazed indeed had she known how often these allusions and semi-allusions were made, for to K

een to her. When Miss Wellow has become-" he hesitated awkwardly, and then with a certain effort, uttered the words "my wife-she will, of course, take charge of the house,

ink I can d

y called him "Mr. Banfield"; it was one of the woman's

I can't say a word of excuse for my poor Miss Rosaleen-I beg your pardon, sir, I mean Mrs. Banfield. I know she behaved very wickedly and strangely, but

consult your priest? If you explain the circumstances to him

n, with a touch of her old passionate temper,

made the amazing suggestion, "I suppose you wouldn't be after se

a nervous move

rget yourself!" and turning, lef

se joy and looking forward to Matilda Wellow, long days fille

whom Mrs. Rigby collectively dubbed as "foreigners" have long ago realised the advantage of having so important an episode

eir matrimonial affairs. But this engagement of her brother David Banfield and of Matilda Wellow was one of the supreme exceptions which prove a rule,

get on David's nerves before she became securely bound to him for ever had one curious effect; it made Ba

assumption that already she, Matilda, and he, David, had a joint life in which Kate Rigby played no part. This angered Mrs. Rigby keenly, and it is a pathetic fact that the only

ame to believe that her brother was now attached, in a far truer sense than he ha

, however busy he may be, or however much I may want to have him here. And now he says he won't go to that

en he disagreed with his wife, only looke

ay something?" s

ersonable fellow; any tailor could fit David. If I were you, Kate, I'

with his wife; but though she had been made vividly aware of the circumstance-for it was from there that the news of his hasty marriage h

Wellow would take it ill of him not to pay her the compliment of going to the London tailor for his wedding clothes-"and then," had observed his sister bris