The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-09-17 00:00:00

BT MI
duthor of "The Heime of dtherstons Grasp.*

CHAPTER XXVII,
TROUBLE AT BIARRITZ.
'Where sorrows come, they come not single spies,
But in battalions:—SHAKEspLißE.
THERE was no need now for Mrs. Churchill and het
girls to wear smiles while their hearts were wrung
with sorrow; no need for poor Madge to put off
wearing the mourning that she longed for, that she
might show how deep her grief for her lover of so
brief a time of happiness had been. Cuthbert Ingram
was their beloved cousin, and the girls might drape
themselves in black and sorrow openly for his loss.
Helen's black dress attracted no attention; Frank
was gone, and it was only a few of the outside world
that knew there was no tie but friendship between
her an i the murdered man. She had put on mourn-
ing for him as she would have done for a brother;
and Madge, when her secret was told to her mother
and sister, had besought Mrs. Churchill to let her
wear the very deepest trappings of woe. She would
v.ave made herself look like a child-widow, if her
mother's good sense had not overruled her desire.
Better not, dear,' Mrs. Churchill said, caressing her
weeping daughter. There is gossip and scandal
enough already; it would only attract attention to
us and our doings. Darling, if Frank can see you
now, he will know that you do not grieve for him
one bit the less that you do not show it in your dress.'
'But I loved him so, mamma,' Madgepleaded. He
was mine—fey very own, and Helen—'
Helen must talk to you, my dear child,' her
mother said ; she has more common sense than we
have; she will make you see that it is best as it is.
And Helen did persuade Madge that it was best
she alone of all the house should Wear the deep
urning that she had assumed for poor Frank. The
Churchille had not the slightest connection with him
in the way of relationship, and it would have been
absurd, Norah declared, though she did not say as
much to poor, sensitive Madge, to put themselves into
disagreeable heavy black for a friend only.
They toned down their braveries and adopted slight
mourning, for they had all liked Frank, and loved
Helen very dearly; but they did not care to parade
the fact that any alteration in the love affair had
come about and that Madge had won a lover only to
I-se him eirectly. Madge might wear her crape now,
and weep her passionate fill whenever she chose.
Everybody knew how she had loved her cousin, and
how dear the bright, winsome young fellow had made
himself to all of them.
'lt is as if I had lost a son,' Mrs. Churchill said, as
she sat by Helen's side, and talked of the lost
Cuthbert. I never knew how dearly we had loved
him till he went away. And what made him go away,
after giving up the hateful thing altogether, I never
could make out. But I ought not to talk to you about
anytheag unhappy. The doctor's orders were cheer-
ful conversation and society, and we are all most
It is never dismal to hear you talk,' Helen said,
the tears coming into her sweet eyes; and I like to
'elk to you about him; I knew him at Miss
lietley's, you know.'
Ah, yes, of course,' Mrs. Churchill said, smoothing
Helen's pillow, and making her more comfortable.
She will be broken-hearted about it. She was a
sweetheart of his father's, you know, and she loved
our poor boy as if he had been her own son. I am
afraid he must have got into some scrape in China,
that he turned round and started home again in that
queer fashion. My dear, I should not talk to you, I
see! you are flushed and feverish again.'
Oh, please do,' Helen exclaimed; the flush is
nothing; it is only that lam a little warm. When
you are not here I get miserable. Tell me all about
your nephew; he always seemed a very lonely young
man.'
He was, my dear. He was early left an orphan,
and not in my keeping, as I should have liked. , We
were abroad at the time, and Mr. Ingram, that is the
- the uncle who took charge of him, was kind enough
to say that mine was a "frivolous" household, and
not fit to send a child into. Perhaps we were
frivolous, my dear old man and me,' she went
on, in a dreamy fashion, as if her thoughts
bad gone back at the mention of her dead
husband's name. I daresay we were; we were
young then, and happy, and the world was before us.
Why should we be grave? So I saw scarcely any-
thing of my nephew till we finally settled in England
after our Indian experiences, and when our great
trouble came and we were left alone, the girls and
myself, he came to be more like a son than an almost
unknown nephew to me. Mr. Ingram openly ex-
pressed his disapprobation; he fancied Cuthbert
would fall in love with one of his cousins. He need
not have been afraid: he was their brother, but
nothing more —Ah ! I have made you cry, my dear.
'I should have known better than have talked to you
about our troubles now.'
There seems nothing but troubles anywhere,'
Helen said, wearily; 'we no sooner get over one
shgclrethan there comes another. I wonder if it is true
Mry trial is a punishment for something that
ve we have done.'
My dear, what a morbid idea.'
I heard someone say so in the pulpit once.'
Who? Mr. Gayford
No; he never talked about anything so dreadful
as punishment; he did not believe in it—he did not
believe in anything. lam sure of it.'
My dear child! what a dreadful notion—a clergy-
man, and not believe what he preached!'
What did he ever preach?' Helen said; and Mrs.
Churchill began to ask herself what kind of doctrine
the Bev. Horace had ever set forth in the pulpit. He
had preached very eloquent sermons, and made them
cry more than once: he was wonderfully dramatic,
and embellished everything he said in a marvellous
fashion, but that was all.
He told pretty stories,' Helen said, and he made
you see what he was describing, and he expounded the
meaning of the narrative part of the Bible very
cleverly ; hut what else was there ifi his preaching?
Did he ever show a single creature the way to be
better or happier in this world, or how to get to the
next in any wiser fashion than we could find for our-
selves ?'
Mrs. Churchill acknowledged that she had never
given it a thought; she had been, like the rest of his
congregation, carried away by the flowery eloquence
of the ISO-Pular preacher, and she had listened to him
p'eased ond beguiled, without ever thinking whether
there war anything more than mere words in the
dramatic sermons that electrified and roused the
audience that congregated at the highly-adorned little
church.
don't suppose he will ever have such a congre-
gation again,' she said. It was foolish of him to give
up his hold upon his people by going away. If he
had stayed in Hillford he would have been seen now
and then, and kept his influence; but the new man
(and I hear he is very clever and pleasant, though in a
very different style), will have worked himself in, so
that Mr. Gayford will have hard work to get back to
his place again.'
'He never ought to have had it; he is not fit to stand
In a pulpit and preach to others. He is a bad man,
Mrs. Churchill, and I hope we shall never see him
again, any of us.'
Helen was very feverish and ill, and ought not to
have been allowed to talk on any exciting topic, and
Mrs. Churchill laid her somewhat wild words to the
score of her indisposition, and felt sorry for her dis-
like to the young clergyman whom she pitied with
all her womanly heart for the trouble that had come
upon him in his cousin's death.
She longed earnestly for Mr. Jarvis to come. Elm)
was very anxious about Helen, who had faded end
weakened with alarming rapidity. She did not know
of anything to make her ill particularly, but she sup-
posed that the shock of the murder and all that fol-
lowed it was bearing tardy fruit now and prostratng
her.
Nothing seems to do her any good,' she said with
a sigh when she joined Norah to have a quiet cup of
tea. She says she wants nothing but to be let alone,
and to die if her time has come. I believe she thinks
it has.'
' Nonsense, mamma,' said Norah decidedly, pouring
out and sweetening her mother's tea. Helen won't
die, she isn't the sort of girl to fade into her grave
after a man, and she was not in love with Frank, you
know- it is the physical shock that is knocking her
up, she will be better after awhile. I am more con-
cerned for Madge. Ido think she is going wrong in
her head.'
My dear Norah; why?'
• 'She is so crazy about her mourning. She told Mrs.
Clarence to-day on the esplanade that she was in
mourning for Frank, and when she looked astonished,
and said she understood that it was for your nephew,
she began to cry and said yes, of course, but the was
mowing for him. As if Mrs. Clarence knew any thing
abeut it ! she will go and put it all about that Madge is
mad. I know she will: she is a spiteful cat, and has
no' forgiven us not using the letter of introduction we
had to her; she knows Mrs. De Witt gave it to us.'
'I think we can bear Mrs. Clarence's anger,' Mrs.
Churchill said with a smile and a sigh. Let her
think what she pleases, and keep Madge out of her
way. I ant have the child worried sr questioned;
she is mak ng an effort to be better, and I won't have
her thrown back.'
Madge was making an effort,' as her mother said.
She had roused herself, prompted thereto by Helen
Batmay, and had striven to throw off the load of grief
that was weighing her down; it was not easy to do,
and she was low spirited and fretful still, but she got
about, and would now and then talk to peop!e.
Helen had told her how unhappy she was making
her mother and sister by her continued languor
and sadness, and had managed till the blow of
uthbert Ingram's death came to make a wonderful
change in the sick girl. With the shock of the news
of that terrible shipwreck her own energies had given
way, and Madge wessehrown on her sister's hands to
to be amused and cared for.
It was weary work—a dismal ending to all their
prospects of happiness and pleasure, and Norah, albeit
• she was a sweet-tempered girl and fond of her sister,
was in, lined to resent it and bewail her disappoint-
ments.
'What was the good of ordering the bridesmaid's
dresses?' she said ruefully, and arranging what we
were going to wear for the winter after the wedding
was over, when we have to put it el away and take
to bck, Noll/ming Is 41wavo on notribiy trying to
•