The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-12-10 00:00:00

BY THE
Author of '0 he Heiress of Atherstone Grange."

4 What-tire we to bear?'

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CHAPTER LI.
STRANGE, B T TRUE.
' A strange coincidence, to use the phrase,
By which such things are settled nowadays.
BlatON.
MR. Jetivrs had been unsettled and anxious ever
since the receipt of the letter which mentioned Helen
Ramsay's name. He could not get any more tidings
from his correspondent for some little time, as be did
not know where to address him next, and it would be
some time, weeks, perhaps, before it was likely they
would meet. He had hesitated about telling Mrs.
Churchill, but business called him to Hillford, and he
went to Fernbank. and told her what he had heard.

It was unlucky that he•was away from home on
that particular evening. Phyllis had been unusually
restless and distrait all day, and her sister, who
seemed to understand her better than any of them, felt
sure that the uncanny influence that bad wrought
upon her so strongly before was at work again. She
would not acknowledge that anything was the matter
with her, except a headache, and &Alt herself he her
own room, excluding even her sister, and begging to
be let alone.
Mrs. Jarvis was rather inclined to be angry with
her more sensible daughter for making such a fuss.
'Do leave her alone,' she said; 'she is quite right.
Quiet is the only thing to do a headache any good,
and she looks as if she had a bad one, poor child.'

'l'm sure she has, mamma.'
• Then don't keep on worrying'her. If she wants
the room dark and no noise, let her have it so; she
will be better by•and-bye, and then you can make her
talk and take things. You are very inconsiderate,
Henrietta.' _ .

I don't want to be, mamma. But you don't
snow—,
What don't I know?' asked Mrs. Jarvis, with some
asperity. She was one of those ladies who, in their
own opinion, knew everything, and she did not like
being set down, as it were, by her own daughter.
Not know,' she reiterated. 'I know what a headache
Is when I ace anyone with one; and I insist on your
letting Phyllis alone till she has had time to master
hers. It will yield to time and quiet, the latter
So Henrietta had to sit down and sew by her
mother's side, with her head and heart too full of
dread for her Plater. The symptoms of Phyllis's ill-
ness had been the very same as they had been before
they went to Dieppe, and on the memorable day at
Hillford when she had broken away from her in the
street and gone straight towards Horace Gayford's
lodgings. Whet if she were to do anything stupid or
wrong in her delusion; she was not herself, her sister
was sure of that, and she longed to go to her and try
to soothe her and quiet her excited nerves. Once in
her anxiety she did get up to go to Phyllis's room, but
her mother stayed her.
I will go and see how she is,' she said. 'Sit still.
child. One would think that your sister had a fever
or something deadly by the way you fidget.'
Something deadly! Aye, it was deadly, if Hen-
rletta's fears were not groundless. Ju.4 so had
Phyllis muttered and looked before; just so had she
answered shortly and wearily when she was spoken to,
and she had told her in that bygone time of the
dreadful influence that seemed to draw her to that
man. Oh! if her mother would only let her go—if
she might only sit with her sister, she might prevent
mischief.

Ph 3 His is fast asleep,' Mrs. Jarvis said, entering in
the midst of her troubled musings. I spoke to her
twice, and she did not hear me. She is breathing
quite regularly and quietly she will wake up presently
quite well. Ring for tea. dear: we will have it early,
as papa is not likely to be in till late.'
Phyllis was not asleep, poor child! She was lying
on her bed, fac3 downwards, struggling as Helen
Ramsay bad struggled with the frightful influences
that were drawing her she did not know whither, but
out of the house and away. She buried her head in
the pillows and strove with all her might to sleep, to
think, to do anything that should drive away this ter-
rifying oppression. She dared not go downstairs lest
they should read her secret in her face and question
her. She was happy and yet miserable—a willing and
unwilling victim at the same time. She did not hear her
mother speak to her, nor the closing of the door that
she had gone away again. She lay there, her heart
throbbing and her head aching till it grew dark and
the roots) was full of weird shadows.

Then she got up and bathed her face, and put on
outdoor things, all without striking a light. It seemed
to her that she could see quite well, and that it did
not matter how she looked ; and, indeed, she did not
look like one of the precise Misses Jarvis when she
emerged from the house by a side door, and stood for
a moment irresolute and half-frightened in the garden
outside. - _

It was only for a moment; the strange influence
held her and she seemed to be called—she must go—
and opening the gate as noiselessly as she could she
;missed out into the gathering darkness. Campsie
House was not far from the station, and Hitlford was
but a few miles away. She would take no harm, and
thPre would have been nothing in her going in the
day-time; no one would have remarked her; but her
appearance to-night was distrait and peculiar, and
attrarted the attention of the ticket-clerk. There was
no one else in the booking-office atthe time, it was not
the hour when business was pressing, and something
in the broken voice that asked him for the ticket
attracted his notice.

'Who is that?' asked the other clerk, when Phyllis
had passed out of sight.
That's just what I was wondering. Looked queer,
didn't she?'
Looked like a madwoman, I thought; but I think
she was a lady. Her face was as white as a sheet,
and her eyes glittered; didn't seem quite to know
where she was going at first. What's up, I wonder?'
I don't know; there are a lot of cracked people in
the world who don't know where they are going,' and
the young man resumed the perusal of his paper,
thankful that he was not on duty Lust at that par-
ticular moment, for there was a press of business just
then at the booking window, and his fellow-clerk was
Issuing tickets wth rapid snaps and did not speak
again for some time.'
I forgot the affair at the palace,' he said, when the
throng had gone by. 'I was thinking, how quiet we
were. I say, Travers.'
Well.' •
I remember who that girl was, now.'
Who?'
'One of the Miss Jarvitie.'
'Rubbish.'
It was I tell you; the pretty one. We shall hear
something, see if we don't.' .

Goodness knows! She was not going frOm home
In any ordinary fashion. She looked frightened and
hunted, as if she was running away.'
By all accounts it would not be wonderful if those
girls did run away,' the other responded.- 'I have
heard awful stories about the primness of that house-
bold; its enough to drive anyone melancholy mad, I
believe. I expert the girl was going to some:
methodistical meeting or other ; she might well look
white.'

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jarvis and her daughter: drank
their tea.; and then Henrietta, anxious beyond
Measure, and not daring to say anything to her
mother, crept up to her sister's rootil, resolved to see
for herself what was the matter. She opened. the
door softly, and listened. There was no sound, not
even the regular breathing that her mother had spoken
of. and with a curious sinking at her heart, she stole
Softly, to the side of the bed, and called. '
dear!' she said, 'are yon asleep?'

. No answer ; only the stillness that' seemed to grow.
more profound every Moment. Then Henrietta put
herband on the bed and felt ; therewas nothing there,
and terrified beyond measure, she could hardly repress
a . cry. Phyllis was gone ;• but where P She must
not alarm her mother unduly. She could not tell her
the truth, with her father away ; he would know h6w
to speak of this horrible thing better than she would
do.
She struck a light, only to have her fears confirmed.
Her sister bad disappeared, and she sat down for a
moment in the low Chair that Phyllis. affected, more
than any seat in the room, and thought. Presently
her mother's step sounded heavily and hastily on the
stairs, and she came into the room.
'Really, Henrietta, you are tiresome, she said. 'I
begged you to leave that poor child alone, and here
you are with lights and noise, and—what's the matter
with you ? Are you ill, too?'
'No, mamma. only frightened.'
'Frightened!'

What at, I should like to know?'
Phyllis is gone, mamma, she is not here at all.'
Gone ! where should she be gone to?' and Mrs.
aryls looked at the bad where she
.had seen her
daughter lying, in perplexity and astonishment.
• Where should she be gone to?' she repeated. She
had never known Phyllis take such a step as to wander
out of the house at that time in the evening. Non-
sense, she is in the house somewhere:.
I don't think she is. mamma.'
And why not, pray? Ring for Esther directly, she
will know.'
I think I wouldn't tell Esther, mamma; at least
not till papa comes home,' Henrietta said, frightened
almost out of her senses, and not daring to begin an
explanation now. She knew her mother would not
believe her; that she would think her mad if she told
her all she fancied, so she held her peace, and let Mrs.
Jarvis enquire, and fuss, and conjecture as she would.
If only her father would come home; he would know
what to do, perhaps. But they were powerless either
to find Phyllis or to account for her absence. MlB.
Jarvis. thoroughly frightened when she found that
her daughter was actually out of the house, sent
hither and thither in her alarm and concern, forgetting
that by so doing • she was publishing the fact, and
giving the gossips something to talk about.
They learned a little, however; they found out
where Phyllis had gone to, and they could only hope
that she would meet her father and come home with
him. Mrs. Jarvis opined that for some reason or
other which would be explained hereafter, she had
gone to Hillford to him.
Meanwhile, the lawyer was hastening with his client
to the house where Horace Gayford lodged, to fetch
his daughter. Very few words passed between the
two wen as they hurried along the auiet streets.

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