A DRAWING-ROOM COMEDY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1086, 14 September 1883, Page 4

A DRAWING-ROOM COMEDY .

LITERATURE. j

( Continued .) _ j “May I offer yon- a : chair ? I anr aftsrc| >find;;tbei^pext>w:nj3owtoo much forj y oft,[said a soft voice j k ' ‘ j behind him. —— i

WJ*Owi» ;I- : nofe? at all!”; he >returh|d, j tfScing’hiy‘Wife- : fqr*an-' ‘•festily s " resuming : liis. *'' surf by l of ‘ HHe: garden. Mrs-Bilbliry’did riot in the least recognise her husband., “Do let me order.a.fire to be.lighted, ’’ .she urged.., ‘ “0, no; not for worlds !” ejaculated he f! tnrne.f slowlyirhund,!>• cOn.sciongfßt last thit eveihhis nervousness bras «o’excusevfor‘his fhdehbss; '**lsol %he f^ctds/^s”-^;: ; v . “My, is : Mps. Bilb\ijy d” ,i, .j r ! .Jhapj;.' ; ;y9ti^yoß' ( l 1 fact isj, Mrs BUbnry, that I'am ..not ; yet entirely reconciled to this abominable English ■ - to say, a man who has existedI |in groves of mongo—a|i—dn\l * has 'lived on curry and Wri thee—all—with the thermometer standing doggedly., at ;a; hundred'- and two imthcT 'shade,' is—ah : 'but I dare say yon understand.” .. “ Oh, perfectly, Mr —I think I have not the pleasure of knowing.your name.” “ Who am I?” thought Mr Thomas BilbpiyH SfMy name,he'said- after a slight p.ansdj Wis *Tilbury'v ? i ' ■ 1 ..^f c t jW!bftiq»-;>corfehßS , Bifttrti«ntly j t/*”SBid' his wife. “ Yes; I can readily’ believe that people coming home from India find;, this climate very trying at first,., even in summer. My husband writes'that’ the ; heat in Calcutta has i>c.eti Possibly, Mr Tilburyyon txyyy ; hava called- to give me some neyfs' tfi him ? Thope so,’ T thought that his last letter was not written in very good spirits.” _ r ~ , .. is* satisfactory j” thought Mr Bilbdry- !l “ The lapse of Two years has not altered her love for m.e,” 1 , he ’said'aloud ; •** 1 can,give; ybti him) for c month 1 'H6w delightful ! Do sit down, < : M I. *ti 1 bury: -' { TO i s veVy pleasant to meet any one who has seen my husband so recently.} for J gather from what yon say that yob have seen him. How wafche?” -■.■ V

Mr Bilbury was\hy this time much exercised in his mind as to what to say itext: On the one hiindj he was afraid to ; dbclare himself Tor fekr of frighteom| his: wife’; on-the other J he rather en 7 - joyed the situations. He therefore determined for the present to retain bis incognito... He was,” he said with deliberate hesitation, “as well as could *be expected.” —rr"A s Well as could be expected?” repeated Mrs Bilbury, iwithularmJ •“ Do, ypn mean that he has bebnTll ? *«‘A “ Well, not exactly ill,” prevaricated Tom,!iiwh‘Oi,had not quite yet made np his mind as tb r whatihe would say. ,-£:B.ut I;do!not;understand'ybu. ' Tell nje?i please.!;v What -has happened to him ?”

-■ -Mr Bilbury,; wondered - what- The end would be. He heartily wished that his wife would ; recognise him and settle the difficulty . by 'throwingi-her arms round liis neck. . ‘ '

very >ber!ous,” he said.* “ I dare say he has told ybu that he has become ifery fond of tiger shooting ?” “ Ah, tigers !: Tell me, Mr Tilbury, tell me I? . “Well, he; Went out tiger shooting one day as usual— ah—he was accompanied only by his servant. / They entered , the jungle I Suddenly, ,and withonl* warning, k 1 huge "'female tiger sprang upon your husband and bore him to the for assistance ; help arrived:;; and the victim was found faint from loss of blood, with torn'out at the socket, his left ,; eye f destroyed; 1 and • the calf of his left- leg—ah—deeply scoted by the cruel claws of fhe ferocious monster.” “ Dear 'lll6, how , alrrming 1” commented Mrs Bilbury ; 'and'the . exclamaseeraed^sb r dnt ! -of • proportion I to the gravity of the story, that Mr Bilbury felt seriously disappointed. . “ That fully'accounts,” con tinned 1 Lydia, *‘ for his'spirits. His’right arm”— “ Yes, tom’out: at the socket, Mrs Bilbury. Ho has learned lb write with his left hand.”

“Ah! dreadful. And,'bis left eye destroyed?” ' “ Yes, he wears a glass eye, poor fellow.” ' “It most be agony. And the calf of his.leg deeply scored by the cruel claws of the .ferocious monstbr ! Tetrible misfortnne ! And when yon left him. Mi* Tilbury, how was he ? Will ihe surviy®.?”. i ‘ (-■ >v* ti&’pew light seemed to break upon Mr Bilbury. Did his wife want him to surViye 7 He felt by no means sore of it. is impossible to say with certainty,” he said ; ** but you most hope for the best. Let me beg, of you, my dear Mrs Bilbury, to r keep up your spirits.” “ Ob, Mr Tilbury, I don’t see why I i should be miserable. There is very pfotfoant society down hero at Richmond , and, you know, there are as good;ffish in the sed as ever came out of it;”- : ; jTom’s worst Suspicions were by this tifoVmore than confirmed.. -f‘ The heartless woman !” he thought. “ This is how she receives the news of my being mangled and disfigured.” But still, unwilling to give up hope, he continued aloud : “ Poor fellow I I assure you that im bis delirium your name was often on his lips.” . “ Indeed i Then lie had - not quite forgotten me.” . “ Forgotten yon ?” repeated Tom, his fellings for an instant getting the better of him. “Ob, no! I think that is the lot of but few women to have a husband bo utterly devoted to her.” •‘And of but few men to i have a wife” — “ So. charming,” said Mr Bilbury, finishing the sentence.

“ Oh, MPTilbury me. Of course yon will 'stay to luncheon. Do ; to pleasiemic P; AXpiivfenow that a woman hates solitude little less than small-pox,’. .One moment,.,.. X ,wi]l just go dud giye:the nece;ssar,y \ And Mrs Bilbury rose amT quitted the room. (Ip be continued.) \w if TJ - ■ '