Miscellany: After The Honey Moon: A Tale With A Good Moral T...

Four montlis had flown swiftly oway sincc Edward Somcrtoii had marricd Rose Bland. Onesummerevcning towards sunsct, as they Bat togeihor al a window opening on a gnrden, enjoyinff the wclcomo coolness, nnd talking over varioiie motters wilh Ihnt interest in eacli othcr which people gcnerally evince four month after marnago, Rose for the first time bogan to pout. 'Edward had,' alie said, ilirted shnmefully With RIrs. Harding on the preceding veñuig. He had spoken to hor in a low tone several limes, nnd had been heard publicly to declaro that Harding was a fortúnate fellow. lfUus wns the wny lie maant to go on, she should be wretclied, and no Jonger place any confidence in l;is love. My pretlydear,' said Edward, placing his arm around the waist of his wife, and accompnnying this action with another clight performance, 'donUbejoalous; belicve me, ihcre ia no cause. On oe of the occasions when I addreesed Mrs. Harding in eo low n tone, 1 remarked that the room was very warm, and on the other, if I reniember riglitly, I otiserved thal the laBt new .novel was ralher dull; so you will perceive our convorsation was rcally of the most innocent descriptton. And Rose, becaiiBC I eaid Harding was fortúnate, it does not follow thnt I mustendeavor to renderhim unfortuiiate.'The mild answor failcd lo turn away the wrath of Rose. She coneeqncntly refused to be convincod, becamo evury inttiint more perverie, and tinally retired procipitutely from the room, wilh her handkerclikf applied to her eyes. Edward qnictly put his feet on the chair she had left vacant, and leaned back in mediiation. Herc vvae the d.ccisivc moment which would most likely delermine wiether thcy would dweil together for the future happy or miserable. Roso was a dear girl, but öhc had black eyes, and they are dongerous. She had been an only daughter too, and perhaps a litllespoiled; but with fewer faiilts might she not have boen less charming? It is worlh studying bow lo live lovingly with such a crealuie, especially when yon know she mars, by her caprictousness, lier own happiness os well as yours. Edward feit that the charge of his wife was totally unfounded.'and he half suspected that ehe believed so herself, but had resolved to be, or seom out or humor, without any particular cause. One tbing was evident, that fiho would not hear reaaon. Something else must therefore be iried, in order to a'.lay nny future storm; for thvs was probably the first of ihe series. Edward resolved to try music. He was an amateur of aome pretensions nnd he eat himself immediatcly to cali over n his memory the melodies most likely to calm the passiona, and exert a soothing effect upon the temper. He made choice of thrce, which ho nrronged in a gradual nenie, to be used according to tho urgency of the occasion; eaJm, calmer, calmest, as the outbreak vvbf, 'or became violent, or more violent, or most violent. The ecale containing three degrees. As the heat rose, l.is conjugal thermometer feil; but beiow the third and 1 o west degreo all was zero and undefined mystery. Putience acted the part of mercury reserved. The melodies wero the following, and were arranged in the füllowing order: In my cottage near ft wood,'1 "Sul margine d' unrio," and "Home, sweet home" They wero all of a gentío, touching charactc and the lost wae purely domestio, and wouantier the chcumstances, couvey a delíca:e satire lo tío good. lie liad hilhcrto played tlicsc popular airs on a Germán flute; but he proposcd now to oxccute lliem in a graceful, appareutly unpremcdilated whistle - not such a whistle as nmy be hcard ín tho slreots proceeding from t'ie líps of vulgar ond coarse nunded biitcher boye, but a superior 6ort of thing.stich as no gentleman necd be nshnmcd of. Ï11 fct,the original wild producüon, cukivated and improved, as the crab is changed into thc pippln. Ilis plan Ihns settlcd, Edward fclt his miad easy, he awaited the renppcnrance of Mrs. Somerton, with a pleasant conciousnc68 of bcmg ready fur whatcver might occnr. ín due time cnme cofibe. Tlio injurcd hnly en me too, ond with a placid counteiiance, betrayed no lingering cvicencc of it late unaminble expression. Neithcr husband or wife madeany olhtsion J.o their miRiinderstaning, and they passed a delightfnl evening, nade up of convereation, llie piano forte and chess. Bul the next morning - the vory next morning. Rose f&vorcd her Edward with number iwo of the series. She wanted him :o walk outwiihher, and lie declared that unfortunately, he ehould be too busy to go out all thatday. This w6 quite suíTicient raw material fora girl of spirit to worK upon. 'Tin 8uro you don't want to Lfo, Edward, '! said she, pouting in exact imitalion of fit iiumber one. 'At least yon dont want to jro with me.''Erlwnrd plungcd both hands into tho f 3ts ot his dressing gown, ihrew himself ' sntly on a sofa, gazed abstractly on a bronze bust of Shakespeare on the manile piece, and bcgan whistling in a low tone of plaintive # tnelody; it waa, "In my cottage nearn wood." ■ "Ifiiwerenny one but your wife,'' ( tinued Mrs. Somerion, with pointed emphasis, "you would be rcady enough to come; but the wiviïsare always neglecled." Mr. Sorrerloncontinued whistling1. 'I heg, Mr. Sonierton,' continued Mrs erton, tviih a witliorinfj look, "that you will not whielle in thal very disagreeable manner whilstJam epenking. If I am not worthy of your lovc, I trust I om worthy of common lention." Edward plunged his hands deepor into his ockets, removed his eyes from the bust of hnkcspeare, and fixed thrm on a bust of lilton. He paused suddcnly in the air he was whistling, and commenccd anotlier; it vas "Sul margin d' un rio.'; Mrs Somerton rctired haslily, with her rclty faco buricd in a white cambric pocket ïandkcrcliief. For five wholc days after this reene all -as lialcyon wcathêr. Doves might have ehcld and enviod. Honcy was still to be ound in the moon, and no impoiitic reference ocitherof lhettwo'quarrela gave either the ighcet daeh of bitternees. Buton thesixth day, aias! tliere nppcored Ioud8. Edward had been into town, and had romised to bring a pair of new brncelets for lose. Ho arrived home pnnclually at dimier ïme, but without the bracelete - he had forgotton tln-m. I put it to you whclher this waa not enongh to try the temper ofa saint? They were going the ncxt evening to a lurge party, end Rose hnd ntendcd to inspect the important 'ornament this evening, and tuke Edwards opinión, so that there niiht be time to exchange themifnot approved of.- Now slio could not do eo - and all from his liorrid forgeifullness. She must either go in slupid, old old fushioncd things, or put on new ones m a hurry, good or bad, juet as l'iïèy liappened to be. It was annoying- that it was.EdwarJ made many npologics. He wns sinccroly sorry to have disappoinlcd her, and even ofibred to return to town after dinner md repair bis neglcct. Oh, no! sho would lot hoar of his making eo tnuch trouble for icr! VVhat did he care whether she was lisappointed or nof His ,forgetfiilness showcd how much hc thoughl of her. Edward tlicn essaycd the soothingsystem; for he loved her, and was cocscious tliat he iad given her canee for some slight chagrín, ilowever 6he became so unreasonable that but one course was left hitn to purgue . He eft offlalking and took to whistling. I tremble for the future peace of Rose whilst I relate that ho considered himïclf justified in descending al once to the second degree of the scale. Ue commenccd au dante ma non troppn. Sol margine d' ut vio. ''To leave me in such a situation!" excláimed the ill used wife, in a voice interrupted by 6obs, "when I had eo set my heart on these bracelete! It is very, vcry uiikind, Edward." Edward appeared wrapt in nieditation and miisic. Ho whistled with great tasto and feeliiif, accenled the first note of each air ns it hould be accenled. But upon another still more cutling observation from Mrs. Somerton, he stopped short- looked sternly at her, and began "Swcet Home." Heavens? w'hat was to follow? He had reached the tost degree, and all e'.sc was at random. Sliould Uus fail, the case was indeed hopeless. Shadowy demoná hovered around, holding forth temptingly; deeds of separation. The bright 2old wedding ring on the lady's finger grew dull and brassy. Edward" Somerton stood in the centre of the room, with his arms folded, gasting with a stcady gaze into tho very soul of his wife, who under the strange fascinatiou could not turn awny her licad. With a clear, untrem - ulous whistle he rocited the whole of that beautiful Sicilian melody from the first note to the last. Then revolving slowly on his heel, without saying a word, he left the roem, shutting the door puntïïiously after him. Mrs. Somerion sank overpowered on the tsofa .Rose, though prctty, was ríot eitly. She snw ciearly ihat she liad mude a mista ké) and like a sensible girl, she resolved uot to go on witli il merely because she beg'in it. Bad temper, it eeemed, would only serve to make her ndiculous instend of mteresting; and Unt was not altogether Ihe effocl desired. Ín half an hour tlie husband and wifc mei at tlie dinner labio. Mrs. Somerton sat smilint-ly at its liead, and was vory alten' i ve n helping Mr. Somerton to tho choicest morselá. lie was in unusually high Fpirits, oud a more hp)y sniall party could ecarcely bo .nol wiih, From day to day - wlilé'í wns ten ycars ago - to the present time, Mrs. Somerton hae rifver f.nmd fault without a cause. Once or twico, ndeed, she has g one so far as to look seriously about nothmg; but tho frown lefí her countcnance at once when Edward began to whi6ile in a low tone, os il iinconbciouly, thc drst few bare of "In niy collage near a wood. MORAL. Ncvcratlempt to queoch fire by fire.