REDEEMED
CHAPTER I.
A WIFE REPUDIATED.
Two lives that once part are as ships that divide,
When, moment on moment, there rushes between
The one and the other a sea—
Ah, never can fall from the days that have been
A gleam on the years that shall be.
BULWER LYTTON.
"Very well, John; I have nothing more to say. You can commence proceedings as soon as you choose. I shall not contest them."
The speaker was a slight, graceful woman of perhaps thirty-five years. Her figure was a little above the medium stature, and symmetrical, almost perfect, in its proportions. Her beautiful, refined face and proudly poised, shapely head were crowned with a wealth of soft brown hair, in which there was a glint of red, and which lay in bright profusion above her white forehead, in charming contrast with the delicate fairness of her skin, which, at the present moment, was absolutely colorless.
Drawn to her full height, she was standing opposite her companion, her large, expressive gray eyes, in which pity and scorn struggled for supremacy, lifted to his in a direct, unflinching gaze which bespoke the strength of purpose and straightforward character of one who possessed the courage of her convictions; while, in her rich-toned voice, as well as in her crisp, decisive sentences, there was a note of finality which plainly indicated that she had taken her stand regarding the matter under discussion, and would abide by it.
"What! Am I to understand that you do not intend to contest proceedings for a divorce, Helen?"
Surprise and an unmistakable intonation of eagerness pervaded John Hungerford's tones as he spoke, while, at the same time, he searched his wife's face with a curious, almost startled, look.
At a casual glance the man impressed one as possessing an unusually attractive personality.
He had a fine, athletic figure—tall, broad-shouldered, well-proportioned—which, together with an almost military bearing, gave him a distinguished air, that instantly attracted attention wherever he went. A clear olive complexion, dark-brown eyes and hair, handsomely molded features, and a luminous smile, that revealed white, perfect teeth, completed the tout ensemble that had made havoc with not a few susceptible hearts, even before he had finally bestowed his coveted affections upon beautiful Helen Appleton, whom later he had made his wife. But upon closer acquaintance one could not fail to detect disappointing lines in his face, and corresponding flaws in his character—a shifty eye, a weak mouth and chin, an indolent, ease-loving temperament, that would shirk every responsibility, and an insatiable desire for personal entertainment, that betrayed excessive selfishness and a lack of principle.