maize, and timber, produced him ample means--a statement
which was borne out by his friend, her uncle's neighbour. In short, a
day for their marriage was fixed, earlier in the engagement than is usual
or desirable between comparative strangers, by reason of the necessity he
was under of returning to look after his properties.

The wedding took place, and Maria left her uncle's mansion with her
husband, going in the first place to London, and about a fortnight after
sailing with him across the great ocean for their distant home--which,
however, he assured her, should not be her home for long, it being his
intention to dispose of his interests in this part of the world as soon
as the war was over, and he could do so advantageously; when they could
come to Europe, and reside in some favourite capital.

As they advanced on the voyage she observed that he grew more and more
constrained; and, by the time they had crossed the Line, he was quite
depressed, just as he had been before proposing to her. A day or two
before landing at Paramaribo, he embraced her in a very tearful and
passionate manner, and said he wished to make a confession. It had been
his misfortune, he said, to marry at Quebec in early life a woman whose
reputation proved to be in every way bad and scandalous. The discovery
had nearly killed him; but he had ultimately separated from her, and had
never seen her since. He had hoped and prayed she might be dead; but
recently in London, when they were starting on this journey, he had
discovered that she was still alive. At first he had decided to keep
this dark intelligence from her beloved ears; but he had felt that he
could not do it. All he hoped was that such a condition of things would
make no difference in her feelings for him, as it need make no difference
in the course of their lives.

Thereupon the spirit of this proud and masterful lady showed itself in
violent turmoil, like the raging of a nor'-west thunderstorm--as well it
might, God knows. But she was of too stout a nature to be broken down by
his revelation, as many ladies of my acquaintance would have been--so far
from home, and right under the Line in the blaze o' the sun. Of the two,
indeed, he was the more wretched and shattered in spirit, for he loved
her deeply, and (there being a foreign twist in his make) had been
tempted to this crime by her exceeding beauty, against which he had
struggled day and night, till he had no further resi