Cruel As The Grave

From this time forth, in the insanity of her jealousy, and with a

secretiveness only possible to the morally insane, Sybil completely

concealed her suspicions and her sufferings from her husband and her

guest. She was affectionate with Lyon, pleasant with Rosa, and confiding

in her manners towards both.

And they were completely deceived, and never more fatally so than when

they imagined themselves alone together.

They were never alone.

There was never a tender glance, a fluttering sigh, a soft smile, a

low-toned, thrilling word passed between the false flirt and the

fascinated husband, that was not seen and heard by the heart-broken,

brain-crazed young wife!

And oh! could these triflers with sacred love--these wanderers on the

brink of a fearful abyss--have seen the look of her face then, they

would have fled from each other for ever, rather than to have dared the

desperation of her roused soul.

But they saw nothing, knew nothing, suspected nothing! They were, like

children playing with deadly poisons, with edge tools, or with fire,

ignorant of the fatal toys they handled.

And, moreover they meant nothing. Theirs was the shallowest pretence of

love that ever went by the name of a flirtation. On the woman's side, it

was but a love of admiration and an affectation of sentiment. On the

man's side, it was pity and gratified self-love. So little did Rosa

Blondelle really care for Lyon Berners, and so truly did she estimate

the value of her very luxurious home at Black Hall, that had she known

the state of Sybil's mind, she would very quickly have put an end to her

flirtation with the husband, and done all that she could to recover the

confidence of the wife, and then--looked out among the attractive young

men of the neighborhood for another party to that sentimental,

meaningless love-making, which was yet a necessity to her shallow life.

And as for Mr. Berners, had he dreamed of the real depth of anguish this

trifling with the blonde beauty caused his true-hearted wife, he would

have been the first to propose the immediate departure of their guest.

Had Sybil been frank with either or both the offenders, much misery

might have been saved. But the young wife, wounded to the quick in her

pride and in her love, hid her sufferings and kept her secret.

And thus the three drifted towards the awful brink of ruin.