s had just been sent for to see
a poor sick cottager, who wanted her immediately. This led her brother
to break out into raptures about his sister's benevolence, self-denial,
and charity! Indeed, I never heard him so eloquent on any subject
before. I left, however, in a little while, for he seemed unnaturally
restless and excited during my stay, and a cloud lowered upon me all the
way home, but it had melted away by the next morning. But I must hasten
on. We were married soon after this, and I settled a handsome allowance
on my wife for her own private use. She had no parents living, but had
kept house for another brother before she came to reside in our
neighbourhood. I wished to suppose myself happy as a married man, but,
somehow or other, I was not. My wife made large professions of
affection, but, spite of myself, I mistrusted them. Her brother, too,
seldom came now to see me, unless he had some private business with his
sister; and they were often closeted together alone for an hour or more.
Then she would come out to me, radiant with smiles, and full of
excitement; and her brother would rattle on, hurrying from one topic to
another, so as to leave me no power to collect my thoughts, or shape any
questions which I was anxious to ask him. I am given to trust, as I
have told you, and ever shall be, if I live to be a dozen centuries old.
Still, I couldn't help having my doubts, my grievous doubts. Well, one
morning, my brother-in-law called; he seemed agitated, and in much
distress, saying that he must give up his house and join his brother,
with whom he was in partnership; as he found his presence was required
for the investigation, and, he feared it might be, the winding-up of
their affairs. I pitied him, and offered him help. He refused it
almost with indignation, but I pressed it, and he accepted a loan,
merely as a loan, he said, of a thousand pounds, for which I gave him a
cheque on the spot. With tears in his eyes, and a warm pressure of the
hand, he was gone. I never saw him again. A _few_ mornings after this;
it was about six months after we were married; my wife and I were
sitting at breakfast when she threw a paper to me across the table,
saying, `I suppose you'll see to that.' It was a bill for a
considerable amount, contracted by herself before our marriage, and for
articles which were certainly no part of a lady's toilet or wardrobe,
nor could be of any possible use to one of her sex. I w