A Reconstructed Marriage

e morning, ordering fires to be kept burning brightly all day in his rooms. At eleven there was another telegram, directing Jepson to have the ferns and plants in th

Station at half-past three o'clock, and th

were shining and glowing with light and warmth and beauty. Thus far, all her expectations were realized, but she missed the human welcome which o

ir, before I had time to inform them of

: "You must have a cup of tea, dear, and then rest for a couple of hours. I dar

ven o'clock e

that had been done for her comfort. "Robert," she said, "there is nothing wanting in these rooms. Ever

ative. My mother and sisters always retire to their rooms after lunch, an

ts way. But do you not think, Robert, that a little spon

leep before you dress. I will come for you at two minutes before sev

p, and she could not follow his advice to sleep. She felt chilled and depressed by the atmosphere she was breathing-an atmosphere impregnated with the personali

for I am reasoning from premises unknown to me," she said to herself. "I have heard of these

rom the Westmoreland fells, whom she had hired in Kendal

t the Crawfords of Campbelton had been occupying your rooms for two weeks. 'Plenty of hurrying and scurrying,' they said, 'to get them

ty of time, if the room

ed. Every thing in them is pell-mell, and the dresses not folded straight, and the neckwear and such like, topsy-turvy. And, ma'am, your

rate complaint. It was only necessary to lift the lids to convince herself that the accusation was a just one. For a moment or two she stood looking at the disarranged garments; her face flushed, she locked her finger

were sent here from Kendal," she said. "Open the one we had with us

ar the silk

but it does no harm to remind you, for you are not used to living among a crowd of servants, and might fall into some trap set for yo

s feel comfortable like old clothes; the new ones, like new clot

oyed about the open trunks, but-but,

ces just hatches more; and I will have little to say to

s charmed with the quiet beauty of her costume. "It is just ri

them. They are like moonlight on

a moment to lose. It will

uair Campbell had taken her seat at the foot of the table, an

. I hope you will give he

ora's face, asked: "Had you a pleasant journey? Are

room, and she kept it in her grasp. Then Robert took her to his sisters, and as Isabel sat on one side of the table, and Christina on the other,

rsation. Very soon the desire to conquer these women by the force and magnetism of love came into her heart, and she smiled into their dark, cold faces, and discoursed with such charming grace and social sympathy, th

again to the Mediterranean-for we only got glimpses of places and thing

and said: "I fear not, for a long

rt," said his mother. "Your business has been

mother, and I shall d

will-but I

ristina, "may I

pbell. "Theodora is too long a name for conversa

gard to her right or wish. Her cheeks flushed hotly, and she looked at her husband. Surely he would spare her the distressing position of denying her mother-in-law's decision, or affirming her own. But Robert Campbell was as one th

disposed to answer to Dora, I shall be silent. That is, you know, my privilege." She spoke with a smile and charming manner, and then

zed by her example, stupefied the elder woman. "Do you

really finis

ht to leave the table until I rise. I consi

he intended it to

mpertinent, then it was stupid ignorance, and I shall instruct her in the decencies of respectable life. And I tell you both to re

ve Christina would care to be called Kirsty. And I really think Robert's wife wished to be agreeable, and even friendl

new you, Isabel, to make any exceptions to my opinions-or to

will never come when your daughter Isabel wi

ithout let or hindrance; yet I wish that Christina had kept her foolish question for a little longer. I was hardly ready for active opposition. It is premature. Christina always interferes at the wrong moment." So Chr

ir own apartments, but he did not enter with her. "I am going to leave yo

u, Robert, as I have always

e thing. If you went with me, I might have the whole family, as the library, like the dining-room, is

that free and loving thing, the human soul, was in Theodora's c

ar Robert-yet I

truggle with his family, and he dreaded the experience. Had it been a struggle with business difficulties he would have risen bravely to its demands. A dispute with women irritated him. In his t

f-quarrelsome dinner, the despotic changing of her name might be-as compared with death, accident, or ruin-"trivial" troubles, but she was poignantly wounded in her feelings by them. And their crowning grief was one she hardly dared to remember-her husband's failu

rds in a Scotch household. The fact is general, but the causes for this familiar repression are various, and may be either good or evil. Theodora felt them in her case to be altogether unkind. What could she do about it? There was the perilous luxury of co

versation turned naturally to their apartments. Robert was proud of them, not so much for the money lavished on their adornment, as for the taste he th

voice was so full of displeasure, th

She ought to know better than to

to suppose these things belong to me. Do I ever put my hair in newspap

ep her pins and curl p

would not put such dreadful

ey come he

ho have been occupying

rooms since they were red

They have been fully occupi

at are yo

f your servants, and t

cie appeared. "Ducie," he asked, "who told you

nd women in the kitchen. I was taken

w who the p

Mrs. Laird and her grandd

indicated they had a right there, and that he was neither

lady's trunks were all opened by Mrs. Craw

? Who do

Mrs. Laird, and

ladies their

sent on here directly after her marriage. She had given me the keys of them, and when I saw them open it fairly took my breath away. I am afraid

d be careful how y

roy what is not theirs are just as likely as not to carry off what t

u have been t

ner, I called in one of the kitchen girls. I w

make such ch

my

any truth in thi

and I fear some jewelry gone. The ruby and sapphire ring given me by my college history class as a wedding gift is not in the

in the hurry of pack

ere all leisurely and carefully packed,

our wedd

es

o you avoid

d these four would be quite safe in this house. But look here, Robert," she continued, lifting a set of valuable ermine furs, "these were given

ed carelessly. "Ducie, I do n

lame, either about thi

eft. If the ladies using th

ree wee

clothing found

-perhaps wishing to frighten me, sir. But this way, or that way, sir, things have been ruined that cost no end of money,

go now,

be blamed, sir, and I

once before. If I have to tell you agai

ou would look after clean linen f

atter with the

ks as if it had been use

you s

many things, Robert, but I c

to have everything spotlessly clean and comfortable, bu

get all that was spoiled, or broken, or stolen for his sake, and for sweet love

omfort him, or was really of that childish temper which gets more and more injured, as it is more and more consoled, it was at this stage of her married life impossible for Theodora

not wa

ak to mother. Shal

. Do not stop

s pervaded all her thoughts, and she asked her soul eagerly for some password out of the tangle of small trials, which like brambles made her path difficult an

her worst of all. She had made concessions, where concession was wrong; she

ered to her Inner Woman, and

ak is to

my just rights an

hers to be unjust and unki

nothing by my cowar

ation and suffering

can

g step, in order to take

ooms with her arms full of clean linen, and Theodora said:

r she was willing or unwilling I had to have clean linen, as the beds had been stripped, and Mr. Campbell wanted to go to sleep, and Mrs. Campbell had a headache. Then she flew into a passion, and I do not think I durst have stayed in her presence longer, but Mr. Campbell was heard coming, so she flung the keys to one of the young ladies,

I will buy linen to-morrow, and then we can

ot influenced by a truth she chose to ignore. Ever since dinner she had been talking to her daughters of Theodora, and her smouldering dislike was now a flaming one. The application for clean linen had made her furious, and she was scolding about it when

rooms, mother? I think their occupancy withou

Campbell, for your wife. S

uestion, if

your kindred, it would have been much more sca

with that Crawford and Laird crowd. I will

here when they c

hall turn

all go out

room

harm has been don

y hairpins, stains on the carpets and covers. I burn with

our wife, ind

your opinion

diot! What

pened my wife's trunks, and ruined her

I can say 'or' as big as you. What be

een entered, my wife'

e rooms. Was I to turn the Crawfords and the Lairds on to the si

is my wi

ooms! You ought to be glad of the circumstance. And p

burg

opened by the Campbells before your father brought me home. Every Scotch bride expects it, and if you have married

e tell

was nothing in Dora Newton's trunks worth

em have been w

theatre or somewhere, and had not brought evening gowns with them. I told them t

o right to

re stylish-looking girls in their own gowns. Dora's made

at ring must come back-must, I say. Und

t is

se for the polic

are fairly bewitched. And oh, what a miserable woman I am! Both my lads!" and

her's side, and as she did

ther's heart by your disgraceful marriage. Can you not make Dora behave decently, and

put people in the rooms I had spent

nd all the time and money you spent on those rooms for a stranger. You ought

ords and Lairds are vulgar, common, and uneducated

and blood is thicker than water. The Crawfords

o one comes into them unless they are invited by Theodora or myself. My wife's clothing and ornaments of all kinds belong to my wife, and no

ed whatever they have. They often borrow

onsent of the owner, the law calls it stealing; and the person who h

when his mother sobbed o

he went to her side and asked:

ll right-with you-that you, at least-would understand. I expected you knew-all abo

red: "Well, do not cry, mother, I wi

night (sob

ying in low, passionate tones: "You see, girls! When you can't reason with a man, can't tou

out of it. She believed herself to be right and from her point of view he admitted she was. He told himself that Theodora did not comprehend the wonderful complexity of the Scotch character-he must try and teach her. And as for her destroyed, or lost adornments, they could be replaced. Of course money would be, as it were, lost in s

their own relatives who had occupied the rooms, and then explained the wonderful strength of the family tie

ar, and the use of my clothing, is that

dly loan what they needed. Isabel says they often borrow her brooches and rings and gowns. Moreover,

for an infringement of manifest courtesy and kindness. And I am sure that e

ok at the matter rea

xamining his fingernails, apparently without noticing the look of pained surprise in his wife's eyes, nor

hopes, and some secret tears. And the gain was doubtful. Nature knows how to profit from every shower of rain, every glint of sunshi

petty wrongs which ill-temper and dislike must bring her would only tempt those who hated her to a continuance and enlargement of their sin. Every one, even her husband, would despise her, and she suddenly remembered how God, when He would reason with Job, bid him rise from his dunghil

gs put und

mastered of

eposed, by the

hed ills she wo

th a noble joy, for thus she would be creating her spi

she went to the family table smiling, and almost radiant in a pretty pink gown, and beautiful white muslin neckwear. Her manner was cheerful and conciliatory, but it utterly failed, because the old lady b

ge dinner plates, and she had accepted her share without remark, though unable to eat it. But later, when a dish of boiled salt herring appeared, its peculiar odor made her so

, when she fell nauseated and

he salt fish, Robert.

alt herring every morning. I do not

ust have a cup of coffe

earn to bear

uld be too was

n't s

whole day. And I might waste weeks and months trying to like the od

ad a boiled salt herring to breakfa

learned to

ike

like them

lish them. Mother believed them to be good for me. Now, I do

oy poisons like whiskey and opium, but I t

are too f

d body means somethin

a light so important, you had better t