The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-26 00:00:00

CHAPTER IV.

ORPHANED.
"For God has wisely hid from human sight
The dark decrees of future fate,
And sown their seeds in depths of might."
MOTHERLY,. good-hearted Mrs. Wood did not go
to bed until considerably past her usual hour on the
night when she left her lodger under the shelter of
the railway arch adjoining the Westminister Bridge
Road, in close converse with "such a 'ansome
Person, and quite the gentleman, I can assure you,
Mum," as she told her intimate acquaintance and
next-door neighbour, Mrs. Poulton, who happened
to be looking out of window when she passed: "but
I'm very much afraid as he's not be'aved as such to
her, which, between you and me, mum, is a lady
born and bred, if ever there was one, though maybe
through a slip 'as come down in the world; and as
for little Lennie here, he might be a prince of the
blood for his looks, and as good as he is good-looking
too. bless him !"
The night was not a favourable one for out-door
gossip, however, and Mrs. Wood did not further
air her opinions as to the relations existing between
her lodger and the aristocratic-looking stranger
whom she had seen her with; opinions which,
though not unnaturally formed, were certainly very
far wide of the mark. She gave the boy a hearty
aupper notwithstanding, and then put him to bed
and awaited his mother's return.
But the hours slipped by without any sign of the
wanderer, and poor Mrs. Wood at last grew so un-
easy that she went out of doors, in spite of the rain,
to see whether she could End her anywhere about.
The search was fruitless, however; but while she
was standing at the door, her head wrapped in an
old shawl to protect her from the weather, a brisk
footstep came clattering down the street, and pre-
sently her hopeful offspring made his appearance,
humming the Fnatch of a popular comic ditty with
as much sang froid as though it was quite in the
natural course a th;••,.... _ • r

way homewards until nearly midnight.
He was not really EO unconcerned as he appeared,
for Mrs. Wood by no means approved of late hours,
and Alich had made up his mind to receive a severe
rating. Fortunately for him, however, her anxiety
on another score drove his delinquency out of her
head, and to the lad's relief her first words had no
reference to the subject.
"Which way have you been, Alick :-" she asked
him hurriedly.
"Up Stangate, " was the ready answer. "I met
Ned Bradley and his sister Carrie going to Astley's,
and they aiked me to go, and so I did."
"Where did you get the money f.r' asked his
mother, sharply.
"Oh, Ned stood treat; he's a jolly fellow, is Ned,
and-.

"There—never mind Ned Bradley; though I
wish you didn't know quite se much of 'em, Alick.
I don't think the Bradleys 'll do you mucn good.
You didn't happen to see anything of Mrs. Grant
while you were out, did you ?
" Mrs. Grant !" repeated the lad, in tones of sur-
i)rise very creditable to his powers of dissimulation.
" No. Where should I see her? I came straight
home as soon as the theatre was over. Is she out ?"
"Yes and what's come of her I can't think.
But come in and get your supper and be off to bed.
Your father 'll be here soon, and if he finds you up
at such a time of night you'll catch it, for certain."
• A warning which Alick was quite aware to be
necessary, and to avoid the chances of a rencontre
'with Mr.. Wood he seized upon an iiunch of bread
and cheese wherewith to regale himself in his own
apartment, retreating thither without loss of time.
Having finished his repast he prepared for bed,
but not without first making some arrangements that
might have attracted observation, had anyone been
there to witness them. Of that, however, there was
little danger, since the only means of access to the
apartment he called his own—and which was, in fact,
nothing but the loft just under the roof, converted
into a sleeping chamber—was a ladder, which he
41row up. after him, and so cut off all means of com-
munication with the lower regions save by his
assistance.

" lhat'S all right," he said to himself. 4. Now to
find a safe hole to plant them away in."
I And taking up the rushlight, stuck in an empty
ginger-beer bottle, which served to illuminate his
abode, he started on a tour of observation round the
place, thrusting his hand here and there into various
holes and crevices among the rotten rafters that sup-
ported the tiles, till he found one that suited his
purpose,. and deposited therein the packet of papers
he had so-adroitly abstracted from the pocket of the
overcoat worn by Mr. Sartoris.

• "It's no use o-pening of 'em now,' he muttered,
after assuring himself of their safety. "If dad
comes up and sees the light there'll be a row in the
house; but I'll find out to-morrow what they're all
about, and whether there's likely to be any reward
offereci for them:'
With which virtuous resolution the astufe youth
emtinguished his candle, and turning into bed was
speedily buried in a slumber as profound as that of
the innocent child below.
Mr. "Wood made his appearance at home soon
afterwards, and heard his wife's account of their
lodger's, unaccountable absence with stolid indif-
ference.

" Wotis it got to do with us, I'd like to know," he
growled. "We ain't bound to look after her, are
Nve:,"

IsToref course not," meekly acquiesced the
patient wife, "and I wasn't thinking of asking you;
but I am uneasy about the poor soul, Alick, and
that's the truth. I'm afraid something must be
Wronq', for never before did I know her to be out to
this tmie, and her looks was that wild as I'm sure
something was amiss with her to-night, and-"
Here- her husband broke in with an impatient
oath.

• "Don't you worry yourself about what's nO con-
cern o' you'rn," he said, airily. "The woman s
quite old enough to take care of herself, do you hear?
Be off to bed, and no trapesing down stairs again to
let her in. If she can't find her way home at a de-
cent hour let her stay out."
Not that the man would really have adhered to
such a threat, as his wife well knew, but she was
forced now to obey his commands, and retired to lie
awake nearly all night listening expectantly for the
sound of a footstep she was never to hear more.
The Sunday passed, and when Monday morning
came without bringing any word of message from the
missing woman, Mrs. Wood's forebodings became
still more gloomy, and while her husband was ab-
sent at the market she gradually collected a little
knot of gossips in the shop, to whom she recounted
her apprehensions of some dire mischief having oc-
curred to her lodger.
Naturally the little episode connected with the
mysterious stranger formed no inconsiderable part
of her theme, and she descanted upon the circum-
stance with many a head-shake and look of profound
wisdom.

•
"Which I'm that certain as I'm a living- woman
as it wasn't no good as brought a regular tiptopper
like him in these quarters," she remarked oracularly.
"I felt a sort o' cold creeps come over me when I
left 'em together, and you just mark what I say, it
wasn't for nothing. Them shivers don't come across
one without no reason, as well I can tell, though
my master don't believe in such things, and only
laughs at me when I tell him ; and don't I remember
how the verytday before I got the letter tellin' me
ai the ship my poor brother as 'ad made a fortune in
Australy was acomin"ome but was lost, and not a
soul saved, and sure enough I wasn't able to eat no
supper for the nervous fit wh'eh come over me
without rhyme or reason, as the sayin' is, and it's no
use a temptin' Providence by making game of what's
sent to us in the way of a warning."
Mrs. Wood's tongue would probably have
wagged much longer to the same effect, but that a
diversion was created at this moment by the ap-
pearance of a policeman, at sight of whom the little
group of gossips crowded more closely round, eager
to know his errand.
"Yes, my name is Wood," that worthy lady re-
plied to the man's first question. "Which all my
neighbours can testify to, as was married at Lambeth
church two and twenty years ago, and lived here
aver since. What may be your business with me,
I'd like to know ?"
"I'll tell you in a minute, missus, if you don't
mind inst stenning into your parlour whil. 1--"
And why shouldn't you tell me out here ?" asked
Tocism.l.loV.oo,da little defiantly, and sticking her arms
,
kmovr, _ ,m an honest woman, l'd have you to
and ain't got no call to be afraid of letting my
y
.wh°o what have knowed me all my life, hear
got to say."
quesEticLmear,e'smissnouthi7ng
4,Tou ve
about your honesty in the
4$ But I've brongi-it' civilly replied the policeman.
you what may be bad news, and
Vraps you woldu,'
of people." t hke to be told before such a lot
Then the thong
,suddenly flashed through
Yrs. Wood's mind that t
octed in some way I,r man's visit might be con-
absence, and she hastil r lodger's unexpected
y lea t
n
room behind the shop. he way into the little
has
is it anything about Mrs. Grant ?" she asked
eagerly. "The poor soul n't been and
got into
any trouble' I hope?"
,1I don't know her name," answered the officer.
"As for trouble—no, that's all past for her. The.
reason I've been sent for you is because an envelope
was found in her pocket with your name and address
on it, and you're wanted to identify the body!'
"Body !" exclaimed Yrs. Wood. " Where ?
What do you mean
"Only that one was found in the river at
Battersea
early this morning, and we want your evidence if
you know who the woman was."
Mrs. Wood, over ome as she was by this worst
realisation of her misgivings, lost no time in getting
herself ready, and was soon equipped in out-of door
costume to accompany the messenger who had been
sent for her.
They were not very long in reaching the-Wands-
worth police station, when one glance at the poor,
'wet, draggled form which lay there, cold and stiff in
death was sufaient to tell Mrs. Wood that she had

4i* U.

find him I mained whereon she
-teed to take '