The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-27 00:00:00

he took in his welfare. His congregation went in
relays to the house to enquire and condole, till the
landlady was nearly driven out of her senses; and
neighbouring clergymen offered their services to
preach in the decorated church, so that his mind
might be relieved entirely from any thought of work
while he was in such dreadful suspense about the fate
of his young relative. Had they known it, Horace
Gayford's mind was in such a curious state just then
that a sermon from him would have been startling, to
say the least of it.
Mr. Jarvis returned in due course, very tired, but
hopeful. He had not been successful, but there was
every hope. No one at Hereford or in the neighbour-
hood, that he could fiiod out, had ever heard of Barney
Grubb; but a man answering to his description had
certainly been in the place about the time he
named, and to see an old woman. On enquiring
for the old lady, the lawyer met with a sudden
check. She had disappeared so suddenly that the
neighbours were considerably alarmed, and had serious
thoughts of breaking open the door of her cottage,
fearing that she was ill or dead.
They would have done it from sheer curiosity, but
that she had been seen to go, and had told a girl who
semetimes waited on her that she should be away some
days at least, he did not know how long. The child's
story was disbelieved at first, but scrutiny of the
place through the windows showed that the old
woman had left everything in order, and laid her fire,
as if she intended to return, so the gossips were wait-
ing.
No one knew the reason of her departure. She was
a very close person,' the lawyer was told. But the
little girl, a sharp precocious creature, being found,
told Mr. Jarvis that 'it was all along of a news-
paper—something she had read—had worried her
awful,' and she had gone away the same day, but told
her nothing. She did not know what paper it was
nor what was in it.
'I hit's all right,' the lawyer said to himself. 'We
shall see that old woman in Hillford ; but we must
have the others.'
Further enquiries resulted in his discovering that
the man who had come to the old woman had spent
the evening of the murder in company with some
soldiers, who were billeted in the town. They were
gone; but it was easy to find out their whereabouts,
and Mr. Jarvis returned to Fern Bank with a great
weight lifted from his mind as far as Barney Grubb
was concerned. It would be easy to prove that he
was not the murderer; but how was the real culprit
to he d scovered ? The skein was as tangled as ever
in that part of it, and there seemed to be absolutely
no clue to the mystery at all.
• You need have no fear,' he said to Helen, when
he called at Fern Bank with his news. Barney
Grubb has been speaking the truth. He was in
Herefordshire when it happened; we must begin
again.'
'ls money any use?' Helen said, in a despairing
tone. 'lf a great deal were spent would anything
come to light quicker?'
'Money is of use everywhere, my dear,' he replied
gently. What do you mean?'
I mean, if any that I have—if my fortune would
be of any use in bringing the guilty man to light. I
would gladly give it. Frank was my brother, you
know, ands--
' Yes, dear, I know,' Mr. Jarvis said, drawing her to
him and kissing her; and if there were not enough
you should do something towards it; poor Frank hail
enough of his own.' How Helen winced at the word
'had;' but they had all come to speak of Frank in the
past now. And if he had not, my dear, I have
enough, and for his father's sake as well as his own,
poor boy, I should not spare expense where money
could Le of any service.'
Mrs. Jarvis elected to receive her husband in a sour
fashion when he returned. He could not do more she
told him' if his own children had both been murdered.
And the lawyer quietly replied that he could not—he
was quite aware of that; and the irate lady was
silenced for the time. She was very much shocked,
of course; she had never admired Mr. Hatherleigh
particularly, she thought him a frivolous, careless
young man; but it was a dreadful thing to hear of
his being cut off in such a fearful manner. Of course
it had arisen out of some imprudence of his own—
steady, sensible people did not get murdered—Mr.
Hatherleigh was quick tempered, and had doubtless
irritated the wretched man who was in custody. It
was an awful affair altogether, but for all that she did
not see that it was Mr. Jarvis's place to go running
about the country seeking evidence; one of his clerks
would have done just as well. It was most un-
fortunate that it should have happened just
now; it was time they went to the sea-
side. If he had any eyes for his home he would
have seen how drooping the girls looked, Phyllis
especially; but of course their father thought more of
his ward than his daughters. If Miss Ramsay had
been looking pale he would have made a fuss about
it at once. 'Miss Ramsay looks pale enough, poor
girl,' he said, in reply to his wife's tirade. And you
don't want my help to take the girls to the seaside ; I
hope my daughters know me well enough to be. sure
that 1 grudge them nothing for their happiness,' he
sighed as he put his arm round Phyllis and asked if it
were true that she was ill. Something was the
matter, evidently. Perhaps the sympathetic word
had something to do with it, for the prim Miss
Jarvis, who never indulged in any emotion and always
conducted herself with such extreme propriety, burst
into a passion of tears and clung to him with a show
of affection that he had never found in her before.
My dear child, what is it?' he asked. Have I
been very blind that I have not noticed your
illness. What is wrong?'
Everything, papa,' poor Phyllis said, weeping.
Mamma is right; T want to get away for a little
while; I want to be out of sight and hearing of
it all for awhile! it frightens me !'
Phyris takes an absurd interest in this miserable
affair,' Mrs. Jarvis said, stiffly. 'I can only imagine
that it is because she is out of sorts; but she lets it
prevent her sleeping or eating. Anyone would think
that Mr. Hatherleigh had been her lover, instead of
Miss Ramsay's, by the way she goes on.'
It is not that,' the sobbing girl replied, her reserve
broken down by her father's kindness. lam not
grieving for Mr. Hatherleigh. 'I am not well, that is
all.'