Astonished, I got up slowly and grasped my way to the mantel for a match. I soon found one, and having lit it quietly approached the bed.
Judge of my astonishment on discovering that the stranger was no other than Bessy.
She had thrown herself even without undressing upon my bed. Her hair was disordered. Her face was very pale and wan. Traces of tears were plainly visible on her cheeks. An expression of mental agony was impressed upon her somewhat ruffled brow and around her halfcompressed lips. Her whole appearance indicated that she had spent a night of mental suffering, and at length wept herself asleep.
I could not look upon her pale features without emotion.
'Ah!' I murmured, 'I have wrung her loving heart with jealousy and, by my folly, caused her to shed bitter tears. Still she loves me. I know it-I feel it. Have I not had the most convincing evidences of it? And how have I treated her noble and self-sacrificing affection? She, who gave up all for me, too-her husband, her children, her honour-aye, even her pride! forgetting even her jealousy! And how — how have I treated her in return!' — I felt humbled and ashamed and, hardened as I was in libertinism, I could scarcely look upon her without blushing.
Just then came the memory of the evening before-the strange voice that I had heard in her chamber; and the words too, 'I have but a thousand pounds to offer you!' At these recollections I staggered and, almost boiling over with jealousy, I threw away the now consumed match and dropped upon a chair beside the bed.
'But how,' I muttered, as reason came at length to my aid, 'if she had concluded to give herself to another- to that d-d profferer of the thousand pounds-how then came she here?'
This was a question that could not be easily answered. Still, it was plain that if she did not still love me-and love me, too, with an intensity which enabled her to set even pride and jealousy at defiance-she would not have so far forgotten herself as to come to my chamber.
'If love had not been stronger than pride, yea, stronger even than her jealousy,' I muttered, 'she would not have been the one to make the first advances towards a reconciliation. And, far from seeking me, she would have left it for me to seek her and apologise for my infidelityfor it was I who committed the first wrong!'
And now in coming to my chamber, in seeking me out, it was plainly evident that she felt that she could live no longer without me, no longer without a reconciliation.
As for the stranger and his thousand pounds, she could doubtless satisfactorily explain them away.
With these thoughts my heart softened towards Bessy.
Meanwhile her breathing appeared to be growing more and more uneasy and her sighs became deeper and more frequent.
'Poor girl!' I murmured, creeping into bed beside her, 'all is forgotten-all forgiven! Your sighs henceforth shall be those of rapture, of perfect happiness-not of misery. From this hour I cancel all ties whose continuance would give pain to your loving heart.
Delia-Emma-all, all shall be henceforth forgotten; there shall be no more delinquencies, no more desertions, no more infidelities. I give them all up, from this hour. For your heart, my Bessy, is loving, pure, and true-your affection deep, trusty, and noble. I'll trifle with you no more. Henceforth, we are one. And not as a mistress only shall I know you-but as a wife-my honoured wife!'
I had, unconsciously, given utterance aloud to my thoughts, and a moment later the meeting of two soft arms around my neck-the pressing of two heaving breasts to mine-the glueing of two warm, glowing lips to mine-joyful cries and tears of rapture-told me that I was heard and that what I had uttered was appreciated by as true and loving a heart as ever beat in the breast of woman.
There was now, as I whispered to Bessie, but one slight obstacle between us and happiness, and this was quickly removed by my dear girl herself who sprang from the bed at my suggestion and in an instant had stripped herself naked. Observing the glow of love and admiration in my eyes, she clasped her hands behind her head and stood erect beside the bed that I might feast my eyes upon her glorious nudity. After remaining thus for a few moments she bent her charming head and kissed my gristle. Then looking into my eyes with a bright smile of love and tenderness, she slowly mounted the couch and passing her left leg daintily across my chest brought her adorable shaggy-face over my mouth and seizing my upstander between her lips settled herself down easily and comfortably for a long gamahuche.
With my pizzle thus buried in the mouth of the woman of my heart and my tongue plunged within her bird's nest, I felt that life could have no deeper joys for me, and as her lust took fire and her rich red lips sucked me with ever increasing passion, I swore a silent oath upon her clinging cherry pit that I would take to myself the unshared right to kiss those perfumed pouting lips, to wind my tongue around that trembling clitoris, and to futter that incomparable body till impotence or death should come to part us.
I have but little more to add; but that little is, perhaps, important.
I learned from Bessy that the stranger who had offered her the thousand pounds was none other than her late husband's uncle-who, not liking her, had offered that sum to relinquish in his favour her claims upon the first child, which strangely resembled its father. She acquiesced in the proposal and accepted the money-but declared that worlds could not induce her to part with her second child, which, as I have mentioned elsewhere, strangely resembled another person.
This explanation made me perfectly happy, and as an evidence of the great satisfaction it gave me I promised Bessy to make her my wife as soon as things could be arranged to permit the ceremony.
And I kept my word.
A week afterwards we quitted London and hastened down to Gretna Green, in Scotland, where we were soon made one and where we spent five or six months of uninterrupted love and enjoyment and then returned to the metropolis. Here, at the suggestion of Bessy, we opened a small thread and needle shop, which, fortunately, did well and yielded us a snug and comfortable living.
As I anticipated, Bessy's love, instead of weakening or diminishing after marriage, continued to strengthen and increase. She made a fond, devoted and useful wife, and never had a thought that was not for our mutual happiness.
True to the promise I had made her, I never saw either Emma or Delia afterwards; and I equally refrained from 'looking after other women.'
Bessy filled my whole heart and was to me mistress, wife-everything.
And I-as my loving Bess has often told me-I, who knew so well how to play the rake, knew equally as well how to fill the role of the husband.
