The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-01-08 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

conscious of the unusual lveßiess of the burden it so
daintily bore. A black travelling dress and a hood of
the same colour only served to enhance the delicate
fairness of her complexion, now tinted with a roseate
glow by the freshness of the winter air. Long curls
of pale gold escaped from the confinement of the
hood, and fell around a face which, lovely as it un-
questionably was, yet possessed as much character as
that of her companion. Her brow was high and
smooth, with dark, sweeping lashes, shading large
brown eyes, that had a clearness and depth of expres-
sion which gave a clue to the sweet, yet firm spirit
that beamed from them. Her mouth was beautifully
curved,' with lips of rose, and pearly teeth; yet that,
with the softly-rounded chin, revealed refinement of
nature, combined with firmness, nay obstinacy, in the
pursuance of that path which conscience told her was
the r'ght one for her to walk in.
She looked from side to side with an expression of
eager interest, and listened with evident annoyance
to her companion, who was saying:
"It is not yet too late to revoke your decision,
mademoiselle. I assure you it will he impossible for
you to live under the same roof with a madman—for
such M. Lecour undoubtedly is. I will accompany
you there, since you will have it so, and permit you
to jud4re for yourself. After seeing this old reAuse,
you may be willing to avail yourself of the invitation
of my stepmother to remain with her till you have
settle on some plan for your future."
The girl sadly shook her head.
"No, no. I thank you from my heart for the kind-
ness you have shown toward me, but I cannot accept
Madame Crozart's invitation. My duty is to remain
with this poor demented old man, if, as you assert, he
is left to the mercy of his servants. I shall remain
with him, to cheer him, soothe him, and try to atone
to him for the unhappiness my mother caused him."
"You do not know all you will have to contend
with, Mademoiselle Adrienne. Wait till you arrive at
Castle Dismal, and see if it will be possible to remain
in so dreary a place as that to which you are bound.
I own that I am selfish enough to wish that you may
at once recoil from the aspect of the place, and from
its maniac master."

"Pray, pray do not speak thus. Remember that I
am his granddaughter—that he is the only relativo I
have on earth. Fo lam c.oubly bound to him, for
there is no other creature of my blood, and he is my
sole dependence in this strange country."
"No, Adrienne," and the voice deepened and
grew ( amest, "M. Lecour is not your sole dependence,
for you have won warm friends in my mother and
myself during our voyage up the river. When you
need protection, appeal to us, and it shall not be in vain.
That time may arrive sooner than you anticipate, for
this old man will turn you from his doers the first time
you are unfortunate enough to offend him, even if he
will consent to receive you at all."
Adrienne confidently replied:
"I will not go at his command. By patience I will
disarm his anger —I will soon make myself necessary
to him."

God forbid, child! that would be the heaviest tax
of all, for M. Lecour would be insatiable in his de-
mands upon your time, patience, and health. He would
soon make you a martyr to his selfishness."
"All, M. Mendon, you are prejudiced against this
unfortunate o'd man. You misjudge him, I trust. At
all events, I must hope for the best, and not fail in my
duty thrc.ugh faintness of heart. lam unlike other
girls of my age, for I have known little of the
pleasures of life; and, as you are already aware, I am
now evading the rigid rule of a convent to seek pro-
tection and a home from M. Lecour."
I am afraid, mademoiselle, that you will find that
the exchange you have made has not improved your
happiness. Sombre as the life of a nun must be, you
will find a residence at Castle Dismal far more difficult
to endure."

Adrienne slightly reddened, and her voice had in it
a tone of asperity as she replied:
"It seems to me a shame that an old man, disgusted
with society, who has sought the seclusion that is most
congenial to him, should have his house banned by
such a name being applied to it. Dreary enough, no
doubt., his life is; but that should excite sympathy, not
derision."

M. Manion regarded her with a compassionate ex.
pression. He earnestly said:
"Few things are spoken of M. Lecour in derision,
for people hold him in too deep—vet, no, I wi:l not
tell you all, poor child! Keep your reverence for his
grey hairs, your tenderness for his infirmities, as a
shield between your own gentleness, and his crabbed
harshness. I will no longer call the old place Castle
Dismal. It was once known as fiellair; it was then
the grad residence of the couutry, but that was in
the days of its builder, M. Montreuil, while his beauti•
ful daughter ras the greatest heiress in the colony."
"And Mademoiselle Montreuil—what of her late,
and how has my grandfather come into possession of
her estate ?"

M. Mendon looked surprised.
"Are you, then, ignorant of M. Leeour's history?"
"Profoundly to; I only know that he is the
father of my mother, and she offended him by marry-
ing without his consent."
"Then I can tell you a little about him that will in-
terest you. Mademoiselle first married my elder
brother; he was many years my senior, and I Was but,
a lad when their union took place. I was very much
attach( d to my new sister, and remained with her till
after her second marriage. My brother lived but a
few years, and in the same month M. Montreuil and
Eugene died. For several years Louise lived in se-
clusion, but then she laid aside her mourning, and
filled her house with company.
"One evening a stranger came to her door. He was
a man over forty, of attractive exterior, and singular
fascination of manner. In the old savage you are
about to encounter, you will see few remains of this;
but that he possessed strange power to charm, was
evinced by the fact that he soon won the regard of
my sister, though she had many lovers far younger
and more suitable for her in every resivct.
"M. Lemur brought letters of introduction from
Some friends in France, and one among them seemed
to move Madame Mendon in a very singular manner.
She wept over it till she was thrown into a violent
paroxysm of hysterics; but her friends soon saw that
the he trer of it had established over her an influence
paramount to that of every other person.
"It ended, as you may anticipate, in her giving
him her hand, against the advice of every friend the
had. Their fears for her happiness were soon
verified; M. Lecoer severed her from all that had been
dear to her, insisted that I should return to my own
family, and soon refused admittance to her most
intimate friends. I have every reason to believe that
he forced her to commit suicide by a systematic course
of ill-treatment. After her death, he produced a
document, properly executed, which enabled him to
retain the estate bequeathed to his wife by her
father."
The listener s7ghed heavily as she listened to this
discouraging recital. She presently said:
"This old man cannot be Gcd-forsaken, Monsieur,
for am I not sent to him as a saving minister of grace?
I feel in my heart that compassion for him, which I
humbly trust will enable me to be of use to him in
the unhappy condition te which he is reduced."
" Make the effort then, in God's name," replied M.
Mendon, with an impatient movement, and an
expression upon his features which betrayed how
little he sympathised with her enthusiasm, whi ;11 led
her to such a sacrifice of self.
"When you have satisfied yourself that his brutality
is too great to be borne, come to my mother. Her
heart and home will be alike open to you. I say
nothing of myself, because from me you may be un-
willing to accept an obligation, but I shall none the
less be on the qui tire about everything that concerns
your welfare."
"I thank you deeply, gratefully, and I will remem-
ber what you have just said, should the necessity you
anticipate arise. I regard it as an especial piece of
good fortune that I chanced to meet yourself and your
mother upon the boat. Without your kind care ef
me, I should indeed, have been in a forlorn condi-
tien."
"And we, in our turn, are glad to have established
a claim on you, mademoiselle. In some sort you seem
to belong-to us, as we were the first friends yeti made
atter landing in Louisiana. Ah, what have we here?
Pierre, the servant of M. Lecour, as I live The old
man scarcely changes with the lapse of time, for he
looks to me exactly as he did ten years ago."
Pierre also recognised M. Mendon, and checked his
pony to offer him a salutation by taking off his ragged
hat, and grinning from ear to ear.
"Hi, Mame Adolph, de sight of you is good for my
eyes, sure 'nuff. I tole de ole 'omen dis was gwine to
be a lucky day for me."
"You may well say that, Pierre," replied M. Mendon,
with a smile, "for it brings to you an angel in the
person of your young mistress."
The negro bowed lowly before the lovely girl, who
smiled sweetly upon him, and said:
"I have come to live with my grandfather, Pierre,
and see that he is properly taken care of in his old
age."
At this announcement the whites of the old man's
eyes became doubly conspicuous, end he repeated, in
an amazed manner:
" Lire ! you live at Castle Dismal? Oh, Lor' ! only
ax Marse Adolf ef dat can come to pass."
"You hear, mademoiselle," said M. Mendon,
significantly. "Even this untutored negro thinks
it will be impossible for you to carry out your
plan."

4. •
" shall make the attempt, at all events," replied
the young lady, decisively. "Since I have braved
everything, and cross( d the ocean to claim M. Lemur's
protection, I will not shrink back when almost at his
door."

Her cavalier bowed in silence, and again turning to
the black, inquired:
"whither are you bound this morning, Pierre ?"
"To de landtn' wi' some letters, an' I blieve one on
'ern is ler dat hery young mistis, tellin' her dat my
ole mariter won't 'gree to have her wi' him on no
terms whatsumdever."
"Let me see them."
Pierre handed over the two letters for his in-
spection, and M. Mendon read aloud the address of
each.
Adrienne held out her hand fo; her own, but the
negro interfered, and respectfully said :
"'Scuse me, young mistis, but yoiLke my Marster
is a rampageous sort o' man, an' if I don't do what he
tell'd me wi' them letters, he mought hurt my feelins',
an' I'm uncommon tender 'bout 'em."
M. Mendcn laughed as he said:
"Never mind about that, Pierre. I will explain to
M. Lecour, and you shall be held blameless. Return

with us to Bellair, and I will inform youi master of
the arrest of his postman on his route. It will now
be useless to send the other letter." _ _

Is it Bellair agin, an' you a-gwine back to it? Oh,
Lor'! is de won' a comin' to a eend dat dis should
happen?"
"I hope not, old fellow; but fall behind and follow
us. for I shall certainly call on M. Lecour this morn-
ing."
Tl:3 three rode on in silence, for as they drew near
the old mansion, each one had much to speculate on
as to what would be the issue of the approaching in-
terview. Adrienne threw her bridle over her arm, and
broke the seal of her letter. She grew pale as she
read the positive prohibition to her to leave the
sanctuary in which she had been placed. M. Mend in
watched her keen'y, and his dark eyes flashed with
exultation as they read the painful expression of in-
decision that swept over her features. He earnestly
said:

"it is as I supposed, mademoiselle. M. Lecour
will not consent to receive you. Why humiliate
yourself by asking shelter of him at all? lleturn with
me to the protection of my mother at once."
Adrienne slowly folded her letter and placed it in
the pocket of her dress. She at length said:
"Since I am so near my grandfather, I must first
see him, and then decide if it will be necessary for
me to accept your offer. Since I have abandonod the
asylum in which he thought me safe when this letter
was written, I think it is only right to appeal to him
for protection before accepting that of any other
person. He is my natural guardian, and I trust
he will not refusg shelter to his only descendant. At
all events, I can but try."
M. Mention silently acquiesced in her decision,
though it filled him with vexation, and they rapidly
rode on till they left the open country, and entered
the thick woodland matted together with cliging vines
into an almost impervious jungle. A narrow pathway
wound through this, which only permitted a single
hcrseman to advance upen it.
M. Mendon took the lead, followed 17 Adrienne,
and when the sombre shadows fell over her, she ex-
perienced a shrinking expression at her heart, which
was a premonition of all she was to suffer in the
dreary abode toward which she so courageously put'.
sued her way.
(To be oostinuedj

THE TERRIBLE FIRE AT MADRAS.
THREE HUNDRED PERSONS BURNED TO
DEATH.

BoneAY, Saturday Morning.
Intelligence of the disastrous fire which occurred at
the annual fair at Madras, last night, has caused pro-
found excitement here, and particulars were anxiously
awaited as soon as the event became known. These
particulars are now to hand, and allow the sad occur-
rence to have been even more calamitous than was at
first supposed. The fire brae out at a moment
when the vast enclosure devoted to the annual festivi-
ties was thronged with people, several thousands
being present. The booths and sheds, which are
only temporary structures and of the flimsiest des-
cription, burnt like paper, and a large area was
soon one vast sheet of flame. The multitudes of
visitors were seized with an incontrollable panic;
their cries and screams rent the air, and added to the
wild fury of the flames, made the scene of one never-
to-be-forgotten horror. The poor terrified creatures
rushed for the entrances, but only to produce a block
and render egress temporarily impossible, except for
the few who chanced to be first at the gates. The re-
sult was only such as could be expected. Scores were
crushed and trodden down in their efforts to escape,
and many more were overtaken by the flames with-
out a chance of deliverance. Owing to the
inflammable nature of the structures and their
contents the fire rapidly consumed them,
and burnt it elf out in little more than
a quarter of an hour, leaving the ground
strewn with smouldering ashes. The commander-in-
chief, General Arbuthnot, was present in the enclosure
at the time of the disaster, as was also the first Prince
of Travancore. Neither of them received any injury,
and his excellency the commander-in-chief instantly
summoned a body of British troops, and with their
help actively conducted a work of rescue. Several
European civilians ably assisted the efforts of the
soldiers, and together they were successful in saving
a great many persons of both sexes. The number of
people, however, who perished in the flames or were
suffocated in the crushes at the entrances is hardly
fewer than three hundred, and fully as many more
suffered injuries more or less severe. Many of
the latter were frightfully burned, others
had limbs broken or crushed. The hos-
pitals, to which the wounded were con-
veyed as speedily as possible, are nearly filled with
the sufferers. Amongst the dead are two European
women, and many European children are reported as
missing. A large number of juvenile population were
present, the fair being one of the greatest events of
the year in Madras, and one of considerable interest
to the children both of Europeans and natives. No
intelligence is yet to hand as to the cause of the fire,
but there are strong reasons for the suspicion that the
conflagration was due to incendiarism.
(Reuter's Telegram.)

MADRAS, Jan. i:

According to the latest particulars of the fire which
occurred in the People's Park last night 275 persons
perished in the catastrophe. The whole of this num-
ber consisted of natives, no Europeans being amour,
the victims.