gradually descends with greater and greater rapidity till it is
dashed into the abyss, so does the frail mortal, who at first
shudders at the bare thought of an immoral act, rush headlong into
sin till her desperate career is suddenly checked, often in a manner
fearful to contemplate. Mrs. Clarkson had now all that any woman
could reasonably be expected to desire. She had triumphed over her
sister-in-law and those of her husband's relatives who had
circulated rumors detrimental to her character, and had become the
possessor of a comfortable home, without the incubus of an impotent
husband. But she was not content; Randolph Thomson, turning his back
on her and his boy, had married a young lady of fortune; so vowing
vengeance against men in general for their _falseness and inconstancy_.
Mrs. Clarkson laid herself out to entrap and ensnare every man who
came in her way, and in this manner to revenge herself (as she by
some strange mental process led herself to imagine) on her false
lover.

The deceased Mr. Clarkson had a brother named William, a bachelor,
whose farm was adjacent to that now possessed by the widow. William
was nearly twenty years younger than his brother, and was considered
rather a good-looking man by his acquaintances. It is possible that,
but for her _liaison_ with Thomson, Mrs. Clarkson would, long ere
this, have fascinated him with her beauty and blandishments; but, he
had hitherto escaped unscathed, though openly admiring his brother's
wife, and taking her part against the scandal-mongers when
speculation was rife as to the cause which detained her in Montreal.
In looking round for some one to entrap and ensnare, Mrs. Clarkson's
eye naturally fell upon William, as the most eligible party in her
immediate vicinity; and she was the more anxious to secure him,
because, with a woman's far-seeing eye and long-reaching vengeance,