MY HUSBAND'S EARNINGS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 94, 27 November 1869, Page 6

MY HUSBAND'S EARNINGS.

A STORY. BY DOUGLAS JEEROLD. ; . ' . . ■ ' • j.j .i .., ' .

"Most men in something cheat their wives." >•••'• ■•' — The Honeymoon.

(Concluded.) " Mr Bridgeman," said the servant, opening the door. "Bridgeman!" cried his wife and Langshawe. * " My"'mistress is with him, Sir," said the domestic, and disappeared/ ' It was to' 6' true.' Whilst Mrs Bridgeman and Mr Langshawe had. been left to conversation', } Mrs Langshawe and Mr Bridgeman— the gentleman entered, ' ' the ' 'house 'as Mary quitted Joseph— nad. "discoursed of Urn gain and[ loss of the' evening. "J^r ' Bridgeman, ' I "am so glad you're come," said" the gentle Mrs Langshawe. " Tour dear wjfe is up stairs." v

" Indeed I" observed Bndgeman, very tranquilly j~ he then asked — " how's Larigsh' a\7e ?". "Very 1 well /'h'e'jS with your lady. Oh L Mj? Bridgeman, X cannot express to you how much; 1 1' am annoyed at the circumstanced of' last'nigh't." Mr Bridgeman put his hand to his chin^gentiy exalted his shoulders, and

spoke not.' ' ' "I wish to my heart that Joseph would riot play, for his fortune is so extraordinary;" said Mrs Langshawe." Now, as 'Mr Bridgeman was fully aware that, although' Joseph always lost to him, he invariably, as in the case o£ the sovereign and sixpence, took home winnings to some amount to Mrs Langshawe, he diet not feel quite at ease in his present situation with that lady. " Fortune,", he endeavoured to observe, " does act extraordinarily with Langshawe." "And then there is something to me so uncomfortable, to say the least of it, in winning money of our friends ;" and Mrs Langshawe looked innocently in the perturbed face of Bridgeman. "Cards are like love, Mrs Langshawe, as I take It ; friends are not to be considered in the matter/ replied the impartial Bridgemah. " I can't' think so.' ' I "think there is something almost mean and sordid in these continual attempts on the purse of those for whom we profess an esteem, a friendship," said Mrs Langshawe. '"" Mr 'Bridgeman, with the weight of many pounds of his friend Langshawe about the neck of his conscience, began to think the interview less pleasant than it might have been. It was plain, however, from her looks, that Mrs Langshawe expected some reply, therefore Mr Bridgeman nodded his head afljnnatively. ' '"But the worst of all is, MrßridgeJ man,", said Mrs Langshawe, with ani- ! mation, " that falsehoQd, positive false- | hood comes of the practice. Never — never before has Joseph deceived me ! (Poor little dear !) And now I have found him capable of the }east deceit — of misrepresentation in the simplest thing — it has made me truly wretched. Without mutual confidence, Mr Bridgeman, there can be no happiness in the marriage state." Mr Bridgeman bowed very solemnly .. — perhaps it was so. "To be sure, he may have been ashamed of the sum — really, too much to win of anybody, and, more than all, i of a friend."

"Has Langshawe really confessed to having lost? Did he bring home no winnings ?" thought Bridgeman. " T.ell me, pray tell me, Mr Bridgeman, was not the loss between you last night' five-and-twenty pounds. ' Mrs Langshawe's- manner had so surprised"' Bridgeman — her sudden energy had so. confused him, that the colour^ rose to his face, and he began to stammer, as he thought — "It's plain, Joseph has confessed his losaes — it's plain — "Five-and-twenty pounds?" again pressed Mrs Langshawe. " Not — not quite," answered Bridgeman. '

"It is true, then," cried Mrs Langshawe ; " tyLra Bpidgeman is right!" "Mrs Bridgeman!" said her husband.' " It was she who told me the real amount of money lost, and not Mr Langshawe. That Joseph should have won nearly five-and-twenty pounds of you — of you, his early friend ! I shall hardly know, how to look in Mrs Bridgeman's face again — I shall "

" To the inexpressible relief of Bridgezoan — wht>^ really being the winner of , nig friend's money, felt with double q-cuteness the reproaches inveighed against ;fche innocent — Langshawe entered 1 ihe apartment — Mrs Langshawe as instantly quitting \t. IH'dgemaii," said; Langshawe, in a i Iqw voice, and w4th an accusing shake lof the' $cad, "this is really very ■ wrong.*' v " "There's something wrong somewhere," replied Bridgeman " My dear fellow," cried Langshawe, "if you wanted to account for five-and-twenty pounds to your wife you ne'e'dn'fc have laid the loss upon my shoulders." '* I account to Mrs Bridgeman! I lose five-and-twenty pounds! 'Twas just my winnings. The fact is, Langshawe — not that I am under the influence of. my wife "

"No more am I — not at all — no man less/ said Langshawe. "If I have fabled a little as to my winnings,

it was out of affection, not feai* — no, no, it w,asto keep" "Mary happy, and the house quiet, nothing more." " "I was f about 'to say, if you must win large sums of money, you might, out" pf the' respect to the feeling of Mrs Bridgeman/win them of anybody else but her husband,"

" But I never win large sums, never, never but once,' when I told Mary that I nad won thirty guineas,' because I wanted td"buy : her a pair of diamond drops, whjch 1 otherwise she wouldn't consent" to purchase.'" Never a large sum, but then,'' said Langshawe. '

? Nonsense \ Mrs Langshawe feels assured at this minute that you won a large sum off me last night," cried Bridgeinan.' " And if she does," replied Langshawe ? "it is because Mrs Bridgeman told her as much ; and who told Mrs Bridgeman I needn't declare to you."

" Langshawe," said Bridgeman, " we have known each other for manyyears, and I should be sorry to quarrel with you."

"Should equally regret it, Bridgeman," answered Langshawe; "but when men can't keep matters like these to themselves — when their wives must be made parties to everything — there's' an end of the very principle of manly friendship." "I think so, too,'* was the gloomy reply of Bridgeman. " At" all events, then, Mr Bridgeman," said Langshawe, endeavouring to clothe his lengthened face with dignity — " at all events," 4< "" Unhappily, or we should rather say nappiiy, tiie appearance of tae ladies not only cut short the wordy encounter of #ie gentleman, but the smiles and beamy looks of their wives suddenly lighted' up the faces of their husbands. The ladies requested that nothing more might be said of the matter, andj hoping that their husbands would leave filthy cards foT ever, all shook hands, and, at the usual hour, sat down happily to dinner.

3\lr and Mrs Bridgeman had departed for their home, and Mr and Mrs Langshawe still sat at their hearth.

"I forgive you, Joseph, this time, but never tell me. a fib/ said the pretty Mrs Langshawe. "Moreover, if you must again play, promise me not to win of Bridgeman. His wife found out his loss in the oddest way ; he had taken out fifty pounds to pay a bill, and returned horne — how she discovered thi# I can't tell — with less than half the mone^ ; the bill," however, was not' paid, for 'twas called for before he was up." ' (The truth is that Bridgeman had not taken the note with him, but" replaced it in his desk.) " When she heard that he had played with you, knowing that you always won, she, of course, concluded that you had the money. And how naughty of you to tell me such a tale about a sovereign, and but I have promised not to sco}d you;" and Mrs Langshawe'patted the blushing cheek of Joseph.

" She's a very violent woman, Mrs Bridgeman,". said Langshawe.

"Very: I was quite surprised at her passion-— besides,' it . showed an avarice that — oh, Joseph ! I wouldn't have had you keep those winnings for any consideration."

"Keep them! Why— eh?— Mrs Bridgeman seemed suddenly in excellent spirits — you never returned the money — you "

" Not exactly the money, Joseph," said Mrs Langshawe, who smiled with some meaning.

Me Langshawe gaped, stared, and said, "Not exactly money — what then?"

" Oh ! I hit upon an excellent plan. You know my diamond drops, that I bought out of your winnings ?" "Thirty guineas!" cried Joseph Langshawe, turning a little pale. "Mrs Bridgeman was always admiring them. To-day, whilst you and her husband were alone, after a little persuasion, I induced Mrs Bridgeman—to accept them." "You did, Mary?" "I did Joseph!" said Mrs Langshawe, delighted at her dexterity. " Your diamond drops !" cried Langshawe.

" And as they cost thirty guineas., and as last night you took less than five-and-twenty of Bridgeman! why, Ms wife having the diamonds, you may now be said to have won less than nothing," said Mrs Langshawe. " Much less," groaned 'Joseph. We believe, though we cannot vouch for him, that from that time Langshawe foreswore cards. Of this, however, we are certain; if he did play, Mrs Langshawe was never again perplexed with her "husband's winnings."

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