Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 256: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BY FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCE. BY FREDERIC VAN RENSSELAER DEY. The story of John Ashten, involving the quality of a sin and a coincidental mystery, being a tale in which New York and London are links in a chain of extraordinary incidents. CHAPTER I. THE LONDON INCIDENT. TWO incidents, remote as to their locality, yet strangely coimciden- tal when considered on the basis of cor- rected time, are responsible for this re- . markable history. One happened in the city.of New York, the other in Lon- don ; one, during the small hours of the morning when the American metrop- olis is as near sleeping as it ever is, the other at or near sunrise over the Brit- ish capital. | They affected people who were en- tirely unknown to one another; they wrought marvels of circumstances in the destinies of all who were con- cerned; they played with the fates of one man and one woman, and by them were brought about such complex con-— ditions that credulity stands appalled, and hesitates before them. The New York incident was a scene of crime, although no crime was com- mitted ; but a long time elapsed before its chief actor discovered that his soul was not branded with the scarlet letter of responsibility for the taking of a human life. The London incident was a wedding which occurred at an ultra fashionable church in the most aristo- cratic section of that great city, and the ptincipals were as prominent in the so- cial world as a high born, beautiful woman, and a titled young man, hand- some, rich-and popular, could be. Apparently, these incidents have no connection—are as unrelated as the positive and the negative poles, and yet each vitally affected the other; and by them was begotten a direful neces- sity. | The Church of the Annunciation was packed. It was the accasion of the marriage of Lady Mercer Covington, to Lord John Makepeace Hertford, ninth earl of Ashton and Cowingford, and because the bride had for three seasons been the acknowledged beauty of London, and the groom, for several years, the hope of fathers as well. as mothers, the occasion was one of un- usual interest to every one who knew them. | The young earl—just past thirty— in addition to his wealth, which was almost unbounded, was a man of ster- ling qualities and irreproachable char- acter. He was talented, handsome and unspoiled by the elements around him which might have been the undoing of others in his position. -His popularity did not cease at the margin of his own circle, but extended to the lower classes, among his tenants, and in fact magnetized and won all who came in contact with him. He possessed that happy faculty of appearing to think of himself Jast, and his habits of study had kept him free from the contaminations which as a rule beset the younger branches of the aristocracy, when unlimited wealth is added to beauty of person and unques- tioned popularity. He was Lord John to everybody, even the trades people, and he rarely saw the name of Ashton, except upon his letters and his own visiting cards. He was tall, broad shouldered, clean shaven, clean cut by nature’s chisel, CONNICGIIOO KS CO