The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-12-31 00:00:00

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to it, whatever it is, will you?' Madge said.
'They are all so busy down stairs.'
Norah opened the door, and took the brown envelope
from the boy's hand.
'I hope its nothing uncomfortable,' she said. ' Tele.
grams mostly are. It is for mamma.'
'Take it to her, there's a dear,' Madge said; and
let us know the worst at once. I hate suspense.'
Norah took the missive upstairs, only to rush down
in a very few minutes, and sieze her sister round the
waist, compelling her to an inpromptu dance allround
the room.

'There! I feel better,' she said. Oh, Madge!
Madge and Norah mystified her sister still further by
bursting into tears and sobbing wildly in the midst of
her laughter.
Tell me what is the matter this moment,' said
Madge, shaking her. If you don't I'll throw some
cold water over you, and spoil every thing you have
on,' and North thus frantically adjured gasped out to
her sister's intense amazement. 'Helen; she is
coming—and Cuthbert
For once in her life Madge was more composed than
her sister.

'Helen !' she repeated; and Norah nodded.
'She is alive, then?'
'Yes.'

'I knew it; I was sure of it, always. But why did
you say Cuthbert? What_ about him—is he alive,
too?'
'Yes.'

Madge sat down, and tried to realise it. She had
believed in her simple faith all the time that Helen
was alive. She could not have explained why she did
so; but she had refused from the first to look upon
her as dead.

'And they are coming to Mary's wedding?' asked
Madge presently: Does the message say that, too?'
Yes, dear.'
I can't bear it,' Madge said. It's too delightful.
I can't believe it,' and she ran away to her own room
to cry for joy, and have it out with herself, as she
said, in solitude that she . might not spoil Mary's
happiness by tears.
Barney, hovering round the house in defiance of all
the etiquette of weddings, was brought in and apprised
of the fact, and fairly broke down and cried, and then
ran away to hide and compose himself, delivering a
curious message to Madge before he went that caused
Mary and her young mistress to fancy that the bride-
groom-elect must have been indulging in strong
waters to keep his courage up.
Tell Miss Madge that the cloud is turning right in-
side out,' was his message; and Madge received it
with a sad smile.

'Not my cloud,' she said gravely. Everybody else'd,
and lam thankful for it. Nothing can ever show the 1
lining of mine.'
She was pondering over the queer words when the '
carriage drove up with the party. Mr. Jarvis, Helen,
and Cuthbert, and someone else who got out, and was
seen no more for the present. The meeting between
them all cannot be described. It was their dead
brought to life again, their lost found. And for some
time they could do nothing but grasp each other's
hands and weep in very thankfulness; but they got
calm after a little while. There was weighty business
to be done, and Cuthbert said -'
I have to introduce my wife to you, Auntie, dear.'
Your wife!' she said in amazement. 'I thought
- Where did you pick up a wife?'
In the sea; somewhPre in the Bay of Biscay. Did
you never guess my secret, and what sent me to China
in that despairing fashion?'
I found out Helen's by accident,' Mrs. Churchill
said. My darling, I congratulate you with all my
heart. Cuthbert is a husband to be proud of, though
he is my nephew; and his uncle quarrelled with me
years ago.'
He will be here presently to set that quarrel
straight, Auntie,' Cuthbert said, looking at his watch.
Helen, my dear, if you are going to deliver t hat
message to Madge from Campsie House, you had
better set about it. It is nearly eleven o'clock now,
and Mary's wedding must not wait.'
'I have something to show you, dear Madge,' Helen
said, as her husband turned away and addressed the
others, as if he would draw aside their attention for
a little while. Come into the drawing room. There
is no one there.'
'No.'
'Come then; I will not keep you long.'
_ _ _

Madge wondering, left the ioom With her, and
Helen took her to the drawing-room, and shut the
door.

_
'The sunshine has come at last, dear,' she said.

• Yes, for all but me. Don't think lam not glad,
too, dear,' Madge added, hastily, fearing that her
words might sound selfish. lam glad, as glad as
I can be; but my dead cannot come to life, Helen.'
.6 Miracles are not over yet, Madge. I was rescued
only by a man catching at my hair. Cuthbert was
hurled into the air like a rocket on a piece of the
burning ship. Yet we are both here .alive and well.
We have come to life!'

Oh, Helen!' Madge gasped, don't put such things
Into my head. I can't bear to think, to hope, to
fancy.'
Don't fancy, dear—believe.'
She put her arm round Madge, and drew her golden
head on to her shoulder.

'Believe, dear Madge,' she said, in her ear; for it
is true!' and then she drew away her arm, and
Madge was resting in someone else's arms—somebody
who pressed kisses on her face, and called her his own
darling, and held her to him in a fashion that certainty
did not savour of a dead man, and she opened her
eyes to meet the love in the eyes that she had more
than once imagined she had seen since that terrible
night when hope and life seemed to die out of her
heart, and the world grew a blank. She had found
her resting-place now !—hers for evermore, and she
would never lose heart again. .

No wonder the church was full to see Mrs.
Churchill's 03rvant married. The news had got wind.
Such news always does; and the people went in
crowds till the party, which was almost too late for
the, canonical hour, could scarcely get to the altar.
And Barney Grubb was the proudest man in all
England as he led his bride out of the church and
heard the ringing cheers that went up as the other
pair, with Frank Hatherleigh by their side, got into
the carriage that was waiting for them, and drove
away. The cloud was showing its lining, and Mary
would be blessed if ever a bride was.