had been so full of pain
and shame that I wished with her death to bury all remembrance and
reminder of it. When quite young I married for her beauty a girl greatly
beneath me in social station, and very ignorant. That I could have borne
uncomplainingly, even after my infatuation was over, but her terrible
temper and, worse than all, her intemperate habits made my life a
burden, and, divorce being then next to impossibility of attainment in
England, I determined to leave her. In fact, I was obliged to do so. I
placed her in a private Home for Inebriates, and with my little Anna,
aged six, I came to this country. Shortly after my arrival here I was
informed of her death."

"By the proper authorities?"

"No; for it seems she made her escape from the Home and died elsewhere.
You can understand that these sad facts made me disinclined to speak of
my married life; and as people seemed to take it for granted that I was
a bachelor--well, I simply did not contradict them."

"And what became of little Anna?"

"She died on the vessel which brought us over," said Plowden with
emotion. Quickly recovering himself, he inquired of Rutherford what he
should do in the matter.

The lawyer reflected a moment and then replied: "I too am in trouble. It
has just occurred to me that you can help me, and in return I will do my
best to help you."

Plowden assured him that he would do anything he could, and Rutherford
proceeded to explain himself.

"I too have a secret," he said; "not so bad a one as bigamy, thank
Heaven! but bad enough."

Plowden groaned, while the lawyer, with a surreptitious smile,
continued: "It concerns a young girl whom I placed at a boarding-school
in New York years ago. Now, my wife--whose infernally jealous
disposition everybody knows--has been told of this by the very woman in
whose charge I put the girl. I saw her, though she did not see me, as
she came from my house half-an-hour ago."

"The girl?"

"No: the schoolmistress."

"Who is she?"

"She was a Miss Archer--an old maid; a Winchester woman who lost all her
people and her money during the war. She then went to New York and
opened a young ladies' school. Mrs. Wildfen was one of her pupils. She
was doing very well until she committed the folly of marrying her
servant, a man named Honey, an extremely handsome but ignorant cockney,
and young enough to be her son."

"Dear me!" ejaculated Plowden.

"This naturally caused a scandal. Her pupils were w