The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-18 00:00:00

Frank's coming, and made rude remarks about him—
never to me, but I heard them, of course, and Miss

Nettley seemed to think so much ceremony necessary
whenever he was announced. She felt it her duty to
come into the drawing-room every two or three
minutes, or to send some one else. She wanted to
leave us alone, that "our intercourse might be
perfectly unrestrained "—she told Mr. Jarvis so—but
her notions of propriety would not allow it, and it
generally ended in my asking leave to go for a walk
with Frank, and his spending his time in abusing
Miss Nettley and schools in general, till I was very
thankful to get back and have a good cry.'
What a horrid courtship,' Madge said, vehemently;
no wonder Mr. Hatherleigh told mamma that he felt
as if he were let loose from school himself when you
were coming home. No wonder he hugs you now
like —'
Like a dancing bear,' Helen said, laughing.
'Frank's kisses resemble nothing so much as a bear's
hug. My dear, if such a thing bad happened at Miss
Nettley's, and he had been seen to do it, it would
have killed somebody, I think. Miss Nettley saw him
kiss me once, and she broke her feelings to me after-
wards very much in the same fashion as she broke the
first intelligence that I was to be engaged to Frank.
She said it was almost "too much for her."
Ah, she wanted Frank to kiss her, I suppose,'
Madge said. Yes, mamma dear, we are only gossip-
ing. Do ycu want me?'
Mrs. Churchill had come upstairs in search of her
daughter and knocked at the door, and she put her
head in and asked what they werelaughing at.
Poor Miss Nettley; she said, when Madge had
duly informed her. I can quite imagine what a
serious matter a courtship under her very roof must
have been to her. It will rather a burden for Mr.
Jarvis to lay upon her. Mr. Hatherleigh won't shock
us if he kisses you as often as he pleases. I expect
you will have to put up with a great deal of caressing
for a while, my dear. Think how long the poor fellow
has been kept on starvation diet. I only came to
mention that lunch is ready, young people, and Nora
is declaring herself ravenous.
The Misses Churchill admired Mr. Hatherleigh very
much, and wondered at Helen's lack of enthusiasm.
They secretly envied her her good fortune, and would
not have been sorry if the handsome, careless young
fellow had fallen to the lot of either of them. Helen
had been there about a week, when Madge, who was
in the garden, peeped into the little drawing-room and
announced Cuthbert Ingram's approach.
'So it is,' Nora said, 'and looking like a ghost.
What has he been doing to himself, I wonder. This
is one of our special pets, Helen, dear; our cousin,
Cuthbert Ingram.'
'Cuthbert Ingram, did you say, Nora?'
The girls had voted at once that friendship was
always cemented by the use of Christian names, and
Helen had Int been Miss Ramsay to them for more
than half an hour. _

'Yes, dear ; do you know him? You look as if you
did.' _

'I have seen him; he is a friend of Miss Nettley's,
and came there once or twice while I was there!

'A friend, yes,' Mrs. Churchill said, from the corner
where she was arranging some flowers. There was
a love affair between Cuthbert's father and the old
lady many years ago. She loves Cuthbert as if he
were her son, I think.'
Helen smiled to hear her late schoolmistress called
an old lady. Miss Nettley would have been very
much astonished to hear such a description applied to
herself. Her hears was °eating thick and fast at the
advent of the man she had confessed sbe knew, and in
the greeting that ensued on his entrance into the
drawing-room she escaped and shut herself in her
own room. A dainty little nest had been prepared
for her; the girls and their mother had vied with one
another in their efforts to make it comfortable and
pretty, and the result was a charming combination of
sleeping apartment and sitting-room, to which she
could retire whenever she wanted to be alone or to
rest and dream, as she sometimes did.
' What a mischance!' she said to 'herself. What
brings him here? Why did no one tell me that
he was a relation of the Churchill's? Bah! How
stupid I am. How was anyone to know that he—that
I-- Helen Ramsay, you are the greatest idiot that
ever stood upon this earth. The man is nothing to
you—nothing, nothing, nothing No man can be
anything to Frank Hatherleigh's wife, remember that,
and crush the folly and wickedness out of your heart,
as a woman should. Yes, dear. Do you want me?'
She opened the door and admitted Madge as she
spoke—pretty Madge—with a suspicious redness
about her eyes and a tremble in her voice!
Oh, Helen, what do you think.'
• What, dear?'
Cuthbert is going away. We shall never see him
any more.'
Helen sat down—the sudden beating of her heart
nearly took her senses away, and she felt the blood
leave her cheeks till she was afraid Madge would
notice her paleness; but Madge was occupied in her
own sorrow and in checking the tears that would
come, and that she would not have her mother or
sister see.

Never see him any more, dear?' Helen found voice
to say presently. What do you mean?'
He has accepted an appointment in China; he had
given it up; he told us only the other day he was
going to stay at home, and now he has made arrange-
ments and it is all on again, and he sails the day
after to-morrow. I don't know what ails him. He
isn't a bit like what he used to be.'

*I suppose it is a good appointment, Madge, dear;
and young men now-a-days don't think anything of
distance, you know.'
Oh, but he doesn't mean to come back again; he
says so; and he wants to bid you good-bye. Will you
go down?'
'Me?'

Yes. He heard you were here, and he would like
to see you. Go, there's a dear. He can't stay many
minutes. Mamma is quite upset. We liked Cuthbert
so, and—and--'
And poor Madge let her composure go to the winds,
and sat down on Helen's sofa and cried without
restraint; and Helen, after a moment's pause and a
little sotto voce abuse of herself for being the greatest
ninny that ever lived, went downstairs to Mrs.
Churchill and Nora. Cuthbert Ingram was standing
with his elbow on the mantelpiece and his face turned
towards the door, and a curious spasm crossed over
his features as he saw her enter. _ _

He was pale, and looked worn and tired, and it was
a very cold hand, albeit it was a summer day, that
he held out to Helen.
Forgive me for sending for you, Miss Ramsa:r,' he
said. It was a pleasant surprise to find you were
here with my aunt., and I could not go away without
asking permission to say good bye—and God bless
you in the future,' he added hurriedly.
I hope you will be prosperous, Mr. Ingram,' was
all Helen could find voice to say; but we shall hear
of you; you will write to Mrs. Chur. hill?'
'Well, I don't know. I was just saying to my aunt,
'offs, that I think it will be better for all my friends
to forget me. I don't intend to return to England.'
That's all nonsense, dear boy,' Mrs. Churchill said,
affectionately, as if we could put up with that; of
course you'll write. Something has gone wrong with
him, Helen, and all the world looks black. He has
brought the news so sudden that he has upset us all.
You will think us a very lachrymose family, I am
afraid.'
She wiped away some tears as she spoke, and smiled
through them at Nora, who was crying undisguiseely.
'Madge was wiser than either of u.,' she said, with
a break in her cheerful voice. 'She ran away to have
her cry out in secret.'
'Don't cry after me,' Cuthbert Ingram said, and
there was a suspicious brightness in his own honest
eyes. I don't know that I'm worth tears.'
It's losing a friend, Cuthbert; and we Lave not so
many that we can spare one. Must you go?'
'Yes, aunt; you would say BO if you knew all.
Miss Ramsay, good-bye. Will you say God bless me
before I go ?'
With all my heart,' Helen said, returning his hand-
pressure. God bless you, and' reward you!' she
added, in a lower tone—'and He will.'
He looked at her for a moment, and then lifted the
hand he held to his lips.
•It is good-bye,' he said, not an revoir.'
And then her hand was loose, and Helen g'ided up-
stairs and shut herself in her room, and fought a battle
with herself that left her pale and tired, and hardly
able to talk to Frank when he came to see her in the
evening. The heat had been excessive, and had given
her a had heada-he ; everyone was languid more or
less that afternoon; and Mrs. Churchill told Frank
how deeply she felt her nephew's departure.
And it was so sudden, too,' she said. 'lt was all
settled for him to give up this China scheme a week
ago, and now ne has accepted the post, and gone with
never a word, except that he must. • If it were any-
body but Cuthbert, I should fancy he had got into
some scrape and was running away; but I know him
too well to think that of him.'
The news duly came to Fern Bank that Cuthbert
Ingram had sailed for Shanghai in the Asphodel; and
roaring waves and whistling winds mingled with the
dreams of the household for many a long day after-
wards, till they heard what had become of Cuthbert
and the ship that he sailed in.
(To be continued.)