The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-10-29 00:00:00

CHAPTER XL
diIADOWS OR SUBSTANOR.
'But shapes that come not at an earthly call,
Will not depart when earthly Toices bid.'
—WORDSWORTFI.

MR. METCALF, the tradesman in question, was not a
timid man, he was a straightforward, honest, well-doin g
person, much respected, not only amongst those in his
own station of life, but in all classes of society. He
had no romance in his composition, and nothing
was further from his thoughts than any belief
In the supernatural. He had heard of the rumour that
was going about Hillford, and he set it down either to
imagination or a silly hoax; he was inclined to think
the latter.
One of the men who declared that they had come
face to face with the spirit of Frank Hatherleigh, was
a simple-minded country farmer, whose mother be-
lieved in charms and incantations for the curing of
diseases, and the power of horseshoes nailed against
the door to keep off witches, and who practised all
sorts of wonderful spells in her own quiet fashion,
with the simple b^lief of her forefathers. Her son
followed in her footsteps, and believed in lucky and
unlucky days for his harvesting and ploughing, and so
forth; his belief in ghosts would be great.
The other man was an ignorant, self-sufficient Lon-
doner, a very good servant, doubtless, but as emp, y-
beaded as most of his class. Neither of them were
specially worthy of belief, though they bail very likely
seen something which they had construed into a gheer. ;
and the sight of anything belonging to the spirit-world
Is always infectious. Let once a man announce that
he has seen a ghost, and, whether the story is true or
not, half a hundred of his fellows will see it in a very
little while.
Mr. Metcalf was not thinking of the ramours as he
went through the wood; he would have been, very
likely, had not some rather unpleasant business come
Uppermost and put anything except itself out of his
head. He had discovered that he should be a con-
siderable loser by the breaking of a firm he had deal-
ings with, and he was calcu'ating ways and means,
and how the loss might be made up, when he came
upon the open space round Girton's Hole. He was
almost close upon it before he saw a figure standing
there, and when he did he hardly started at first.
He hed known Frank Hatherleigh in the flesh very
well by sight—as indeed all Milford had done; he hal
been one of those free-and-easy, Lght-hearted fellows
who get known to everyone, and have a bright word
and a smile for all their acquaintances. He had bought
gloves for himself and Helen at Mr. Metcalf's shop,
and had given the draper's little girl a doll to atone
for nearly running over her one day in his headlong
haste to get somewhere or other. The child had come
to regard him as a being of superior order by reason
of the waxen peace-offering, and Frank had come to
be a speaking acquaintance with her parents.
For a moment Mr. Metcalf forgot that Frank was
dead, and was on the point of speaking to him;
indeed, he had ejacnlated Mr. liatherleigh !' and
started at the sound of his own voice, before he
recollected that what he was looking at was what he
had beard the two men had seen. A cold chill struck
him as he remembered—a chill that seemed to seize
his \TIT bones, and lay hold of his heart with an i
hand. He had been in anything but good health for
some time, as his wife bad told Mrs. Churchill, and he
had hard work to keep himself from fainting as he
gazed at the familiar face and form.
It fa a hoax,' he said to hia-e,elf, • a silly hoax.
Speak, whoever you are. What do you want here
silly people? Speak, I say.,
frißghut:ngtnhiefigure only turned its head and loolTed at
him. There was no mistake. Whatever or whoever
he was looking at had Frank Hatherleigh'e face, but
with thi pallor of death upon it. The eyes were fixed'
and glassy, and the cheeks vieTe white ; and the moon-
caughtrirnogu
round
thatth wase po
pool,
andtbe
hlaseanmd stilatrestetlzognlittteer
polf n
linet
s d
made a blood-red sp that looked like a blo)cl drop
Again
tTmr.o
hisMe heat
Metcalf
heart was
ersattinhegr
wtriiohd tforigsphetatuki.
By this
rapidity, and his voice was husky and in ,uclible A
cloud came over the moon, and the trees seemed to
his excited imagination to shiver and moan as the
light died out and left him in almost earkness with
the phantom of the murdered man. And then he was
alone! He could feel rather than see that the thing
had gone, and he almost fainted in his unspeakable
terror.
When be recovered himself the moon was shining
brightly again, the moaning shiver had passed away
from the tree tops, and there was nothing to tell o'
what he had seee. His breath was coming in •thick
gasps, and his heart beat as if it wou'd choke him,
but that was physical; he knew there was mischief
there, his doctor had told him so, and bidden him
beware of excitement and sudden shocks. It was the
state of his hsalth, no doubt, that had brought about
this vision he bad seen. He must have been thinking
of Mr. Hatherleigh without being aware of it, and so
conjured him up at the place where others had fancied
they had seen him.


,

44 ;IL

Retried to argue thus with himself, but the eon-
viction that he had seen something was too
_strong,

and he searched about the place for some evidence of
a man's presence. There was none. And he made
his way home, feeling ill and unnerved, to faint away
when he reached his own house, to his wife's great
alarm, and to reveal in his half-insensibility, as Le
was recovering, what he had intended to say nothing
about.

Mrs: Metcalf was not a particularly gossiping
woman, but knowing what she did about the reports
that were going about it was not unnatural that she
should speak; hence the bit of shop gossip that had
come to the ears of Madge Churchill. Of course it
went beyond her, and was the property of all Hill-
ford before long. Coming to the ears of Barney
Grubb, who was rather contemptuous and disbelieving,
he declared that if there was a ghost to be seen at all
he should have seen it. He had been in the wood at all
hours looking for it, and on the very night that Mr.
Metcalf had met with his adventure he had been on
that side of the water. He had been near enough to
hear that gentleman's footsteps as he came down to
the water's edge, and had answered his call from close
at hand instead of from across the water as he had ex•
pected.
And it's as well I was there to fetch him,' he said,
talking the matter' over with Donovan, with whom he
still kept up a desultory sort of acquaintance. 'Ho
was so breathless, he had hardly wind enough to
speak to me.'
'Frightened, perhaps,' Donovan said, it was just
then he had seen it.'
'Stuff !' Barney said, with some contempt. He's
always like that. Something the matter with his heart,
they say. He didn't tell ma he had seen a ghost.'
He told someone, any way. There's more in it
than we know, Barney: and I'll find it out, as I've
sworn to help you to find out the other thing. People
are on their guard with you; they, don't think of a
ragamuffin like me.'
There was some truth in what Donovan said. He did
not come much to the Ferry-house now that Mrs.
Mordaunt was established then ; that old lady was
too many for him,' he was apt to say, and resented
raids on her larder and beer barrel; but Barney knew
that he had some scheme in his head for the discovery
they were both so anxious to make, and let him alone.
I mean to find it out,' Barney said. The fellow,
whoever he is, is clever; but he must come to grief at
last. He hasn't shown himself to me yet, but when he
does I mean to catch him. I shouldn't wonder if
that infernal parson isn't at the bottom of it all. It
was never seen till he came back to Hillford.'
'There's something in that, Donovan said, catching
at the idea—' there's something going on in that
wood that somebody wants to keep a secret, and Has
ghost scare is a good plan for keeping folks away.'
What do you mean?'
I hardly know myself yet; but! think! am on the
track.'
On the track of what? Not the I
Not the man—no: but the clothes he wore. It was
somebody in your likeness that was prowling about
the wood that night, and I have a notion that he
slipped his shell somewhere, and came out a different
man. It's only an idea, and I can't tell you what has
put it into my head, but it grows there, and it will
take shape sometimes, and when it does, if it's only
the shape I think it is—Oh lord! what a game there
will be.'
'You've been drinking, Donovan,' was all Barney
replied to the speech.
Maybe I have, just enough to make me take that
ghost by the neck whenever I catch him,' was
Donovan's reply. 'I know what lam talking about,
you make take your oath of that.'
'l'm not so sure of that,' Barney said, as he
watched him cross the water and disappear in the
wood.
There were several boats at the ferry now. The
ricketty old tub that used to be thought sufficient for
all the traffic had given place to a substantial safe
boat, which would hold a great many people, and
there were other boats for hire, in One of which
Bagged Jack's father had gone across.
It was some time after Mr. Metcalf's adventure,
and the moon was on the wane,- but it was light
enough to see any thing in the open air with perfect
distinctness and the river was quite bright at places
—notably at the ferry.
You are not going out to-night, dearie r Mrs.
Mordaunt said, coming to the cottage door, when
Donovan was out of hearing. ' It's lonesome here
when the night sets in, and I sit and think of all that
has happened; more than all of the poor young lady
and—'
Aye, mother; don't talk of her. I'd go to the
world's end to find her if I could; but it's no use,
she's gone.'
' Aye, dead, poor dear.'
I don't know,' Barney said, musingly; I don't
think she is dead. I don t feel as if she was, somehow.
We shall never see her again I doubt, but I can't help
thinking she is alive. Mother, all the light seemed to
go out of my life when she went away.'
'I do believe you were in love with her,' the old lady
said, and her son looked'gra,ve, and a queer light came
into his eyes.
I believe I was,' he said: 'l' know I felt for her
as I never felt for any woman before in all my life. I
would have died a dog's death to save her one hour's
unhappiness. I would have given my life to save any
life that was dear, to her, and deemed myself well
paid if she smiled at Me when I was dying. If that
's love, mother, I think I was in love with Miss
Ramsay. I know rdadness it was. If I ever marry---'
'II', Charlie?' (Ma. Mordaunt was the only person
who did not call her son Ba,ney.) Don't say " I
was in hopes that you and that pretty girl you brought
hore once--'

' That I was making love to Mary?' Barney replied,
gravely. Perhaps I was. Mary is a good girl, and
fit to be your daughter', and that's the highest praise
I can give her. When I ask her to become my wife,
mo• her, will you welcome her?'
6 With all my heart if she will not turn me out,'

Thar, she won't,' Barney replied, and then rose
fr)m s seat with a laugh. 'Perhaps she won't
have me,' he said. I have not asked her yet. She
may say no.'
'She won't do that.'
'!don't know. She won't look at me with my
mother's eyes. 'Hullo! What's the matter with
Donovan? He can't have found anything to drink in
the wood, and he's drunker than he was, or I'm very
much mistaken.'

The boat was coming back across the river, pro-
pelled in a very vague and uncertain fashion, t ut at
great speed. Donovan was coming back much faster
than he went. Barney went to the landing place to
meet him, and caught the boat to pull it to the shore.
Donovan's face was white, and his hand shook as he
helped to pull the boat up,
6 V. hat's up r Barney asked, and Donovan looked at
him with scared eyes.
'l've had a fright,' he said. didn't think
_I was
easily frightened, but I have.'
How ?' _ .