and her wasted remains now lie hid in the kindly gloom of the grave. Yes, sweet, abused, forgiving Mrs T-! I this morning attended your funeral, and let fall a tear of unavailing regret! Shall I tell your sad story all in one word or two? The blow that broke your heart, was struck by YOUR HUSBAND!

Heaven grant me calmness in recording your wrongs! Let not the feeling of outraged humanity prompt me to " set down aught in malice;" may I be dispassionately enough disposed to say but the half, nay even the hundredth part only, of what I know, and my conscience will stand acquitted! Let not him who shall read these pages anticipate any thing of romance, of high-flown rhodomontade, in what follows. It is all about a poor, ill-used, heart-broken WIFE: and such a one is, alas! too often met with in all classes of society, to attract, in an ordinary case, any thing of public notice. The ensuing narration will not, however, be found an ordinary case. It is fraught with circumstances of such peculiar aggravation, and exhibits such a moving picture of the tenderness and unrepining fortitude of woman, that I am tempted to give it at some length. Its general accuracy may be relied upon, for I succeeded in wringing it from the reluctant lips of the poor sufferer herself. I must, however, be allowed to give it in my own way; though at the risk of its being thereby divested of much of that sorrowful simplicity and energy-that touching naïveté, which characterised its utterance. I shall conclude with extracting some portions of my notes of visits made in a professional capacity.

Miss Jane C had as numerous a retinue of suitors as a pretty person, well-known sweetness of disposition, considerable accomplishments, and L.10,000 in the funds, could not fail of procuring to the possessor of so many charms. She was an orphan, and was left absolute mistress of her property on attaining her twenty-first year. All the members of her own family most strenuously backed the pretensions of the Curate of the parish-a young man of ascertained respectability of character and family, with a snug sti

VOL. XXIX. NO. CLXXV.

pend, and fair prospects of preferment. His person and manners were agreeable and engaging; and he could not conceal his inclination to fling them both at Miss C's feet. All who knew the parties, said it would be an excellent match in all respects, and a happy couple they would make. Miss C herself could not look at the Curate with indifference—at least if any inference might be drawn from an occasional flushing of her features at church, whenever the eyes of the clergyman happened to glance at her

which was much oftener than his duty required. In short, the motherly gossips of the place all looked upon it as a settled thing, and had pitched upon an admirable house for the future couple. They owned unanimously that "the girl might have gone further and fared worse," and so forth; which is a great deal for such people to say about such matters.

There happened, however, to be given a great ball, by the lady of the Ex-Mayor, where Miss C was one of the stars of the evening; and at this party there chanced to be a young Londoner, who had just come down on a three-weeks' holyday. He was training for the law, in a solicitor's office, and was within six or seven months of the expiration of his articles. He was a personable sort of fellow to look at a spice of a dandy-and had that kind of air about him which tells of town-if not of the blandness, ease, and elegance of the West, still of town-which contrasted favourably with the comparative ungainliness of provincials. He was, in a word, a sort of small star; a triton among the minnows; and whatever he said or did took infallibly. Apprised by some judicious relations of the united charms of Miss C's purse and person, he took care to pay her the most conspicuous attentions. Alas! the quiet claims of the Curate were soon silenced by his bustling rival. This young spark chattered Miss C-out of her calm senses. Wherever she went, he followed; whatever she said or did, he applauded. He put into requisition all his small acquirements-he sung a little, danced more, and talked an infinity. To be brief, he determined on carrying the fort with a coup de

H

she enquired, in a gentle and very faint tone of voice.

Every rap-d-ee, Jane!" was the reply. She turned pale, and trembled, while her husband, putting his hands in his pockets, walked suddenly to and fro about the parlour. With trembling hesitation, Mrs T― alluded to the near approach of her confinement, and asked, almost inaudible with agitation, and the fear of offending him, whether he had made any provision for the necessary expenses attending it-had laid up any thing. He replied in the negative, in a very petulant tone. She could not refrain from shedding

tears.

"Your crying can't mend matters," said he rudely, walking to the window, and humming the words of some popular air.

"Dear, dear George, have you seen any thing in my conduct to displease you?" she enquired, wiping her eyes.

"Why do you ask me that, Mrs T?" said he, walking slowly towards her, and eyeing her very sternly. She trembled, and had scarcely breath enough to answer, that she had feared such might have been the case, because he had become rather cool towards her of late.

D'ye mean to say, ma'am, that I have used you ill, eh? Because if you do, it's a d”

"Oh, no, no, George, I did not mean any thing of the kind; but but-kiss me, and say you have forgiven me-do!" and she rose and stepped towards him with a forced smile. He gave her his cheek with an air of sullen indifference, and said, "It's no use blubbering about misfortunes, and all that sort of thing. The fact is, something must be done, or, d-ee! I'm done! Look, here I am! Bring your chair here, do!-What do you say to these?" He pulled out of his pocket a crumpled mass of papers-bills which had been sent in during the week, some of them of several months' standing. L.70 were due for wine and spirits; L.90 for articles of his dress; L.35 for the use of a horse and tilbury; L.10 for cigars and snuffs; and, in short, the above are a sample of the items which swelled into the gross amount of

nearly L.300-all due-all from creditors who refused him longer credit, and all for articles which had ministered nothing to his poor wife's comforts or necessities. She burst into tears, as she looked over the bills scattered on the table, and flinging her arms round her husband's neck, implored him to pay more attention to business.

"I tell you I do," he replied, impatiently, suffering, not returning, her affectionate embrace.

"Well, dearest George! I don't mean to blame you"

"You had better not, indeed!" he replied coldly; "but what's to be done, eh ?-That's what we ought to be considering. Do you thinkhem!-I am-Could you, do you think-" He paused, and seemed embarrassed.

"Could I what, dear George?" she enquired, squeezing his hands.

D'ye think-D-ee!-no-I'll ask you some other day!" and he rose from his chair. What will be imagined was his request?-She learnt some days afterwards, that it was for her to use her influence with her aunt, an old widow lady, to lend him L.500 !-To return, however.

He was standing opposite the fire, in moody contemplation, when a rude puppy, dressed in the extreme of the fashion, with three differentcoloured waistcoats on, burst unceremoniously into the parlour, and disturbed the sorrowful tête-à-tête of T and his wife, by rushing up to the former, shaking his hands, and exclaiming boisterously-" Ah! T-, how d'ye do, dee? Bill Bunce's chaffer has beat -; he has, by-! I've won L.15 on it!-Oh, a thousand pardons, ma'am-I didn't see you; but there's been a great dog fight, you see, and I have been luckier than what Mr T has, for I've won L.15, and he has lost L.20!"

here

This precious puppy was one of T's bosom friends! Aye, incredible as it may seem, it was for such worthless fellows, such despicable blockheads as these, that Mr Thad squandered his generous wife's property, and forsaken her company! On the present occasion-a sample of what had occurred so often as to cause no surprise-nothing but a

gush of bitter tears after he was gone-T- civilly bade her good morning, and departed arm-in-arm with his " friend," and did not return till past two o'clock in the morning, almost dead drunk. Had he seen how the remainder of the day was spent by his poor wife-in tears and terror-unsoothed by the thought that her husband was absent on errands of honourable employment-content with making a scanty dinner of that at which the servant "turned up her nose," as the phrase is --and sitting the rest of the evening sewing, and shedding tears by turns, till the hour of midnight warned her to retire to a sleepless bed: could he have felt the hurried beatings of the heart whenever her wakeful ear fancied she heard the sound of his approaching footsteps on the pavement beneath could he have done this, he might not, possibly, on waking in the morning, have called her a nor STRUCK HER on the mouth till her under-lip was half cut through, for presuming to rouse him before he had slept off the fumes of the brandy, and all he had drunk over night-in order that he might be in trim for a consultation appointed for eleven o'clock. He did do this; and I was the first person on earth to whom she reluctantly told it-on her deathbed!

Though her delicate and interesting situation within a very few weeks of her accouchement-might have kindled a spark of tenderness and pride in the bosom of any husband, who had not lost all the feelings of honour and manliness, it sufficed, apparently, to inspire T with a determination to treat her more unkindly and neglectfully than ever. She scarcely ever saw him during the day; and when he came home at night-more than once conducted by the watchman-he was almost invariably stupified with liquor; and if he had the power of utterance, he seemed to take a demoniacal pleasure in venting upon her the foulest expressions which he could recollect being used by the rif-raf of the taverns where he spent his time. More than once was she so horrified with what he said, that, at the peril of her life, she insisted on leaving him, and sharing the bed

of the servant! Her wretched looks might have broken a heart of stone; yet it affected not that of the wretch who called her his wife!

A few days after the occurrence above related, the maid-servant put a twopenny post-letter into her mistress's hands; and fortunate it was for Mrs T- that the girl happened to be in the room while she read it, awaiting orders for dinner. The note was in these words, written in a feigned, but still a lady's hand :—

"UNFORTUNAte Madam!

"I feel it my duty to acquaint you, that your husband, Mr T, is pursuing quite disgraceful courses all night and day, squandering away his money among sharpers and blacklegs, and that he is persuaded to back one of the boxers in a great fight that is to be; and above all, and what I blush to tell you,-but it is fitting Mrs T- should know it,

in my opinion, Mr T is notoriously keeping a woman of infamous character, with whom he is constantly seen at the theatres and most other public places, and she passes as his cousin. Hoping that you will have prudence and spirit to act in this distressing business as becomes a lady and a wife, I am,

"Madam,

"With the truest respect and sympathy,

"A REAL FRIEND."

Mrs Tread this cruel letter in silence-motionless-and with a face that whitened sensibly as she proceeded; till, at the disgraceful fact mentioned in the concluding part, she dropped the paper from her hands-and the servant ran to her in time to prevent her falling from her chair, for she had swooned! It was long before she came to; and, when that was the case, it was only that she might be carried to her bed

and she was confined that evening. The child was still-born! All this came on the husband like a thunder

stroke, and shocked him for a time into something like sobriety and compunction. The admirable qualities of his wife-her virtues and her meekness shone before his startled eyes in angel hues. He forsook the scenes, a constant frequent