The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-11-06 00:00:00

Mrs. Jarvis installed her husband in a comfortabl.
lodging, and provided a few necessities out of the
£l.O, which luckily she had in her pocket with the
letter and the miniature; and the next morning, as
soon as she had seen him properly attended to, she
went over to Princes-street and sought an interview
with Mr. Gibson.

Luckily he was at home, and with a few minutes
to spare, and he came to her at once, smiling at
what he fancied her overweening anxiety about the
picture.
"It is quite safe," he said, with a smile. "Did you
come to see it?"
"Oh, no, air; but I've come about it, for all that.
I ye something to tell you."
She glanced at the door, and he made sure that no
one was listening, and returned to her side.
"What is it ?" he asked.
"It's a queer story, sir; but the beginning of it is
that my husband and me were burned out of house
and home last night."
The quivering of her wrinkled face spoke of the
pain at her heart, and Mr. Gibson put his hand in his
pocket.
"I'm very sorry," he said. "How can I help
you ?"
"Not that way, sir. There's no need, thank you.
As luck would have it, I had the money I showed you
in my pocket, and we've a bit in the bank besides. It
was to tell you about the fire that I came. Our
houses and the others were burned down to destroy
Miss Atherstene's picture."
"Good heavens !" Mrs. Jarvis, do you know what
you are saying?'
"Yes, I do, sir. It was just that, and I came to
you, because I thought you would advise me what to
do about it. We didn't feel happy—John and me—
in keeping it to ourselves."
She told Mr. Gibson, from beginning to end, what
had happened, in a lucid, straightforward way, that
left no doubt on his mind about the truth of her
words, and he heard her with amazement that can be
better imagined than described.
"You will be a wise woman to say nothing
about this matter to anyone else," he said. "I will
ask the advice of someone who will be able to tell us
what to do. You will swear to this woman? What
is her name ?"

"Mrs. Dalton, sir. Oh, yes, I can swear to her
anywhere ?"
"Thou go borne, and say nothing tut you hoar
from me. Tell me how I can help you. It is an
awful thing to be burned out, and money goes such a
little way when there is everything to buy afresh."
"You are very good, sir. We are a great deal
better off than most of our neighbours. There's
nothing we need want for just yet, unless you could
give me anything in the way of old clothes for John.
I haven't an article to put on him when he's able to
get up."
"I'll see what I can do. I daresay anything Mrs.
Gibson can find for you wouldn't come amiss. Tell
me where to send to, and you shall have something."
She gave her address, and in the afternoon of the
same day a porter arrived with a cab-load of miscel-
laneous articles, turned out of Mrs. Gibson's lumber-
room and linen press, and a request that Mrs. Jarvis
would return with him.
Mr. Gibson had a gentleman with him, who asked
her to repeat the story she had told him in the morn-
ing and questioned her pretty closely, without making
her alter her narrative in the least. She had no idea
that she was talking to the sharpest and clearest.
headed detective in Edinburgh, who the same evening
made enquiries at the hotel where Miss Atherstone and
her party had been staying. They knew Mrs. Dalton
very well. She was staying at Portobello at present,
and had not left the hotel after about four o'clock in
the afternoon, until she WE nt away by the ten o'clock
train at night. She had had a bad head-ache brought
on by the heat and exertion of going about chopping,
and had lain down.
There were plenty to swear to all this—waiter,
chamber-maid, porter —almost everybody about the
place knew her well, and had seen her go in and out.
On the other hand nothing could shake the testi-
mony of John Jarvis as to the identity of his visitor
with Beryl Atherstone's friend. He described her
minutely, and insisted that he was neither dreaming
nor delirious. It was very strange and mysterious;
there was nothing to do but wait and see how far
time would solve the riddle.
Mrs. Dalton left Portobello when enquiries were made
there concerning her, but the address of the party in
London was given, and measures were taken, secretly
and silently, to find out the truth.
Beryl and her party, augmented now by Mr. At her-
stone and pretty Lily, occupied a furnished house in
Hartington-street, Belgravia. None of them knew,
or guessed, that they were objects of extreme interest
to Several persons, notably to a gentleman who lodged
just opposite to them, who appeared to have a great
admiration for Mrs. Dalton.
Beryl's spirits had come back to her, and curiously
enough from a cause which had cast a damper over
everyone else. Noel's regimen was ordered to India
unexpectedly, in place of one whose turn it was to go.
Some hitch had arisen with which our story had
nothing to do, and the change had been made, taking
everybody by surprise.
Many exchanges were made by officers to whom it
was inconven'ent to go, and as it was not war time,
and tiereer.reeee. elefeetiVikihee_fitep, Noel's
family and his friends nett_ - emagined that ho
would remain at home.
But to everyone's amazement Beryl scouted the
idea. She preferred to follow Noel's fortunes to the
other side of the world, and to give up Atherstone
Grange and all its luxuries for the discomfort and un-
certainty of Bengal barrack life. In vain Noel pointed
out to her the disagreeables of the future she was
planning, and the risk to health, and perhaps life, in
going to such a climate. She would hear of no ob-
jection. She argued, reasoned, laughed at him, and
finally declared—in a half-jesting, half-serious tone—
that she would have nothing at all to do with him if
he exchanged or hinted at remaining.
Mrs. Atherstone was disappointed and grieved, but
she said very little about it, nor did her husband.
Beryl had lately taken matters with a high hand, and '
would brook no interference; and Noel was in as lover.
like a state of infatuation as could be desired.
"I think I must have been born with a roving
nature, auntie," she said to Mrs. Atherstone, in ex-
cuse, when that lady had been caught weeping over
the prospect of Noel's going. "I feel as if I should
like to fly all over the whole wide earth, roving from
country to country like a bird of passage."
"I wish you could have been contented with a nest
at home, my dear," was all Mrs. A therstone's comment
on her words; and she sighed as she spoke, for there
was a heavy sense of coming evil on her spirit that
she could not shake off.
Mrs. Dalton expressed no surprise at Beryl's decision
—perhaps she was rather more accustomed to her
young friend's vagaries than her English relations
were, or it maybe that the heiress was more explicit
to her regarding her motive for this new freak.
"It's better to go," the said.
"Much better," Mrs. Dalton replied, shortly.
"In five years people will have forgotten all their
disagreeable fancies," Beryl remarked; "and I can
live as pleasantly out there as here. Money is money
everywhere. As for you—"
"Yes, as for me, Miss Atherstone. What do you
propose to do with me?'
"Leave you established at the Grange, of course.
My friend—my confidante. If anything should
happen—"
"I'm not afraid of anything happening while you
are away. You must be here, on the spot, for mis-
chief to come of all the idle stories that are afloat. By
the way, let me give you a piece of advice."
"What is it ?"
"Don't refuse to go to the Minerva Theatre any
longer. They are beginning to think you are al' aid
of Mr. Allan Temple."
"And so I am, awfully."
"Don't be a fool. He is your last and greatest dif-
ficulty. Face
"I can't."
"You'll have to, sometime; and, maybe, in a worse
way than in the box of a theatre. He's evidently a
sensible fellow, and doesn't mean to seek you—at any
rate, as a lover. But Graham Carson is in town (I
heard that much accidentally, last night), and they
are suspiciously intimate, Let the man see you in the
front of the house—he need never do so anywhere
else, and there'il be an end of it. There's mischief
afoot amongst them, and the only way is to put a bold
face on it."
There was, indeed, had they only known Graham
Carson was in town. So were two other persons,
whose presence wonld have made her uncomfortable
had she known—Mr. Masters and Dr. Twist. But
her wedding-day was drawing near—not the bright
wedding that Mrs. Atherstone had so fondly planned
when both her son and daughter should enter the
holy state on the same day, but a hurried affair, shorn
of all its glories by Noel's coming departure, and the
strange request of Lillian's britiegroom elect that their
marriage should be deferred.
The night before they left London to return to
Warwickshire the heiress consented at last to go to the
Minerva Theatre, to see the actor with whose name
London was ringing. Her heart beat wildly with
agitation and dread as she suffered Noel to wrap her
in her soft opera cloak, and put her in the carriage.
Certainly it was some time since Allan Temple had
held his stage colleague of the old time in his arms,
and whispered words of real love into her ear, and
pressed his lip to hers with an unresisted kiss. It
might b 3 that he had grown careless to—changed as
she had, and would not care to look at her. Oh, how
she w:shed such a consummation might have come
about; Mrs. Atherstone and Mrs. Dalton were of the
party—Lily electing to go with her father to a
concert. The reverend gentleman had no objection
to theatres and went occasionally, but preferred
Shakespeare to the modern romantic drama. He had
made up his mind to see Allan Temple some time, but
not upon the stage.
Beryl was rather inclined to keep in the background,
behind the curtain of the box, but Noel made her sit
forward. He was proud of her beauty, and in a very
few moments he found that their box was the cynosure
of all eyes; the beauty of its principal occupant
caused glasses to be levelled at her from all sides, and
her pretty confusion only made her more lovely than
ever.
She bent her head to avoid the general regard, and
when she raised it again she saw Mr. Masters and
Dr. Twist. Somehow or other their presence there
together struck her with a cold chill. Either of them
singly would not have affected her much, but where
had they met? how 'sde acquaintance? She could