g bride, if you have ever known
the charm of intellect, or the sweetness of sympathy. But it was not for
Caroline to complain; struggling against her own weight of sorrow, she
had no immediate perception of her companion's vapidity. It was he,
poor man, who complained. He just detected enough of her superiority of
intelligence to suspect that he was humiliated, while sure that he was
bored. An incident converted his growing indifference into permanent
dislike not many days after their marriage.

Lord Montfort, sauntering into Caroline's room, found her insensible
on the floor--an open letter by her side. Summoning her maid to her
assistance, he took the marital privilege of reading the letter which
had apparently caused her swoon. It was from Matilda, and written in
a state of maddened excitement. Matilda had little enough of what is
called heart; but she had an intense selfishness, which, in point of
suffering, supplies the place of a heart. It was not because she could
not feel for the wrongs of another that she could not feel anguish for
her own. Arabella was avenged. The cold-blooded snake that had stung
her met the fang of the cobra-capella. Matilda had learned from some
anonymous correspondent (probably a rival of Gabrielle's) of Jasper's
liaison with that adventuress. But half recovered from her confinement,
she had risen from her bed--hurried to Paris (for the pleasures of which
her husband had left her)--seen this wretched Gabrielle--recognised in
her the false baroness to whom Jasper had presented her--to whom, by
Jasper's dictation, she had written such affectionate letters--whom she
had employed to plead her cause to her father;--seen Gabrielle--seen
her at her own luxurious apartment, Jasper at home there--burst into
vehement wrath-roused up the cobra-capella; and on declaring she would
separate from her husband, go back to her father, tell her wrongs,
appeal to his mercy, Gabrielle calmly replied: "Do so, and I will take
care that your father shall know that your plea for his pardon through
Madame la Baronne was a scheme to blacken his name, and to frustrate
his marriage. Do not think that he will suppose you did not connive at
a project so sly; he must know you too well, pretty innocent." No match
for Gabrielle Desmarets, Matilda flung from the house, leaving Jasper
whistling an air from Figaro; returned alone to the French town from
which she now wrote to Caroline, pouring out her wrongs, and, without
se