ctor,
of his family, of his parishioners and their opinion, above all, how
could he think of Miss Gwynne, who disdained him,--at a time when every
personal feeling ought to be merged into sympathy with others? He prayed
and struggled against the tempter; prayed for his sister; above all, for
Howel; in words too fervent and holy for these pages; and went to bed
and slept from mere exhaustion of mind and body. Little did Netta
imagine, when she made that disobedient step into the dark future, what
misery it would bring upon all who loved her!

Pause, then, and think, all you young women who may be meditating a
similar course, even whilst reading this story, or may be at issue with
your parents, because their experience shows them a future which your
inexperience cannot show you! Pause and think that Netta is no
fictitious character, her story no mere creation of an author's brain,
but the portrait and history of one out of hundreds of wilful daughters
brought to shame and grief, and bringing all belonging to them to shame
and grief by an unblessed and unholy marriage.

CHAPTER XL.

THE FORGER'S WIFE.

Days and weeks passed, and there was no intelligence of Netta. Rowland
had heard from Owen of the domestic misery at home, and also that he had
been to see Mrs Griffith Jenkins, who disclaimed all knowledge of her
son's hiding place, or what had become of his wife and child. Her own
grief was too real to allow even the sceptical Owen to doubt it; and
when, in addition, she gave him to understand that she, too, was nearly
ruined by Howel's forgeries, but that she would die rather than tell any
one else of it, he could only pity the wretched mother who had, by her
bad example and teaching, helped to train her son for the ruin into
which he had fallen.

Rowland heard that Mr Deep had been arrested upon a charge of abetting
Howel in his crimes, and that a search-warrant for the examination of
his papers had brought to light other nefarious dealings, as well as an
unsigned letter, supposed to be in Howel's writing, intimating his
intention of going to America. This had caused inquiries to be made at
the docks, and police emissaries to be despatched forthwith to America.
A person answering his description had sailed for that continent from
Southampton the day after Howel left his house, but unaccompanied by
wife or child.

Strange to say that the Epsom races had come off, and that Howel's
horse, Magnificent, ha