The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-07-02 00:00:00

SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1837.

NOBLER THAN REVENGE.

BY TBB
Alias?? of" The Heiress of Atherstone Gran"!

CHAPTER VIII.

A REVELATION.

'ln terms of choice, I am not solely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes—
Besides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary choosing.
—S HAN. ESPEARE.
TR. JARVIS had reasons of his own for finding his
ray to the river that afternoon and joining the party
In their picnic; he wanted to see his ward and her
.over together, and judge for himself from their de.
InParlour to each other how things were between
them. He had a vague misgiving that all were not
(iuite as he would have had it; and yet he could not
r call one
.word of Helen's, or any seatiment of Frank's
that apt ke of anything but the most perfect:willing-
ness to fulfil the wishes of their dead parents.
I daresay I am an old fool for fancying any such
th-ng,' he said to himself. I suppose it is the fact of
the wish being expressed, and arrangements being
rnade accordingly, that makes me imagine things. I
shall be glad when they are married and off my hands,
as it wcre ! the love will come then if it is not quite
ripe now. No one could live with my bonnie Helen
and tact love her.'

The 14wyer's admiration and friendship for his
yard were very tender and true; she seemed like her
inothcr come back again; there was the same con-
fidiug, gentle manner, and the same perilous beauty.
Il wai glad to think that she was safely provided for,
and he was glad, too, as he watched them coming
across the river, that Frank'a business would take"
lion far away from London, and the vicinity of his '
C.,usin the Itev. Horace Gayford. What he had seen
ot h,t gentleman, the lawyer did not like. And yet
Ihe clergyman had taken pains to appear at his very
bpst in the presence of Frank's guardian.
There's a secret in that mans life,' hesaid to him-
soli as he looked at the approaching boat, and saw
Hora^e Gayford seated beside Helen, bending over her
now aid then with an expression on his face that
somehow sent a chill to her old friend's heart.

Where is Frank? What is he thinking about?' he
sad to himself. Why does he not take his "fairy,"
as he calls her, to himself. There he is, I declare,
flirting with Madge Churchill. Frank, Frank, you
don't know when your happiness is in your hand.
md between her and your cousin, my boy, or there
wll be misch'ef. What has Barney Grubb done to
offend the parson, as he calls him, I wonder? Has he
t 4 Wm what he told me—that he doesn'trespect him?
I shouldn't wonder. Barney is tolerably outspoken and
fears no man.'

Horice Gayford had turned his face in the direction
of the boatman for a moment, and such a look of
h ttr, d and animosity had comeover it that the lawyer
vizi startled and puzzled. _ _ _

Mr. Gayford may be a very good preacher, I dare
say,' he muttered to himself. • I dare say he is. Just
the sort of man to make women cry over his sermons;
but he is not a good man for all that, and the world
will hear of him some day in a fashion with which the
pulpit has nothing to do.'
lit,len was the first to spring out of the boat and
greet her guardian with outstretched hands.
flow nice of you to come,' she exclaimed, and
what a lovely basket. Did you buy it of Barney?'
' Yes ; for you.'
Oh, thank you so much.' And the beautiful face
was lifted to him for a kiss, which Mr. Jarvis took
with much satisfaction; his allowance of fem,nine
e ,r,sses at home was of the most limited order, and
his big warm heart delighted in affection from his
young people when he could get it.
It's awfully jolly of you to come, sir,' Frank said,
coming forward after he had seen Madge and her
shawls and other feminine belonging's safely landed
on the bank. Are Mrs. Jarvis and the girls here? I
thy are.'
lie hoped the girls were; they were nice girls away
from their mamma, but he certainly told a fib in
including Mrs. Jarvis in his wish. The lawyer smiled
and shook his head. _

No,' he said, they are on duty. There is a meeting
of the society for the distribution of clothing amongst
tho Aborigines of Western Australia, at Exeter Hall,
snd the ladies have gone up to town to attend it; I
got into disgrace by refusing to accompany them.'
Frauk laughed. Mrs. Jarvis's leanings towards the
philanthropic were very often the cause of her
husband going off to take a day in the country some-
wherP, and Frank was too familiar with them for his
guard an to have any reticence with him on the
subject.

'l'm very glad you did not go, sir,' he said; 'it has
procured me the pleasure of your company.'
'Yes, and its much pleasanter, my boy,' Mr. Jarvis
sys'd, and laughed at the recollection of the sermon he
had listened to from his wife before he left home. She
had refused to let her daughters go with him to the
picnic —they had not received a special invitation,
Nonsense,' Mr. Jarvis had replied to this plea. 'lt
Will be a good opportunity for them to make some
very nice acquaintances, and will do them much more
good than sitting in that stuffy hall listening to
long winded twaddle about things that they don't
care for a bit.'

'I beg your pardon, Mr. Jarvis, they do care,' the
ira'e !sly replied. 'They have been trained to
interest themselves in doing good to their fellow
creatures. By the way, your subscription is not
down. I

Don't put anything down for me, I beg,' the
lawyer said, as his wife flourished out her pocket-
Aolk, with a goodly list of names in it attached to
various sums for the benefit of the savages in

ques i n.
Not put anything down! Are you not going to
eve me a cheque?'
Not a farthing. I think we have heathen and
niik .d people enough at our very doors without going
to western Australia to seek for them. If you want
to clothe and feed people, why don't you organise a
miteaion to the savages of East London; you'd find
'wink enough there, But I suppose your stomachs
are too delicate and your hands too white to touch any
home evil.'
You are very coarse, Mr. Jarvis,' was all the lady
Of igned to say in answer to her husband's speech, and
they parted, each going their own way in search of
eti]o3 ment.
There had been a time when Mr. Jarvis would have
been hurt at his wife's reluctance to join him in any
scheme of innocent pleasure, but he had grown callous
with the flight of time, and made up his mind to ac-
cept the inevitable, and not seek for congeniality
where it was not to be found. So he went his own
way and took his pleasure where he chose, and left
his wife to her meetings, and what she called her
• work,' aud took the world as it came—with a lonely
heart enough very often, if anyone Could have read
what was passing in his mind.
Don't forget you are on duty, too,' he said, tapping
Frank lightly on.the shoulder, as Helen, much against
her will, paired off with Horace Gayford, and Madge
was evidently looking for Frank as a cavalier. Your
cousin is taking your place.'
Oh, with Fairy,' the lad said, laughing, though he
reddened a little, too. He likes to talk to Helen, and
she deem't, mind. You see, she li clever, an all that
&at of thing, and they chatter about all manner of
things that I don't know anything about, and '
And, in short, you like flirting with Madge
Churchill. Take care, dear boy, there may be mischief
done before you know where you are.'
'1 don's think there's any harm here, sir,' Frank
Hatherleigh said, smiling, though there was something
of a conscious look on his face as he spoke. Fairy
and I belong to each other, and—and I think it bores
her to have the fact too prominently proclaimed.'
Perhaps so, my boy. I can understand that, and
you are somewhat demonstrative, as I have seen.
Take care of your treasure, that's all—and don't lose
It,' he added in a lower tone; you will never forgive
your:elf, if you do.'
• Lose it! Lose Fairy, sir! I don't think that's
Ilettly,' and Frank Hatherleigh laughed lightly as the
young lady came up on his cousin's arm, and began to
talk to her guardian about his daughters.
Mr. Jarvis could nothelp thinking that under certain
circumstances it might be likely. Helen was so very
charming. And then his thoughts went back to the
young man he had seen in the Temple Church, and his
ward's evident confusion at the sight of him, and he
wondered whether there could possibly be anything
detrimental to Frank's interests in the fact of Helen's
acquaintance with hint.
Psbaw ! lam fanciful,' he added to himself. She
was candour itself in speaking of him. The son of an
old friend of Miss Nettley's, she said. I recollect, there
was a love affair in that good lady's life, and this lad
will be the son. It is odd how old maids will cling to
anything that reminds them of their youth; Ingram,
of course that was the name. It was all a mistake; a
n,isdirected letter, or something of that sort. And
they parted without the one little word being spoken
that would have made them both happy; and he
married; and she remained faithful to her ideal all
her life, and cherishes the son for the father's sake.
Maybe she is wise. Perhaps it would be better if we
all did the same, instead of shackling ourselves and—
Hedderwick Jarvis you are a fool in your old years;
what have you to do with old loves or old memories.
A penny for your thoughts, guardy.'
It was Helen who spoke, breaking in on his medita-
tions with her sweet, young voice, and suddenly
eppearing at his side with a bunch of flowers in her
n d
they are worth a great deal more than that,' he
answered with a smile that had a sigh in it as well.
I should think they were. You looked as if you
were a hundred miles away at least.'
1 think I was my dear; I was thinking of your
mother.'
•My mother,' Helen said musingly. How strange
it seems that the word should be only a dream as it
were; that I should never have known what it was to
we One. I try sometimes to fancy that I can re-
rnemb r her.'
'I ,is imp tssible, dear; you could not'
don't know. I think sometimes that very young
children take impressions of things that remain with
them all their lives afterwards. I don't think it is
all a dream of a fair sweet face that used to touch
mine wi h suh soft cheeks, and Of alweet gentle voice
that tang to me. It seems more like a memory than a
dream, that fancy, with its accompaniment of dusky
faces and strange trees and houses like nothing I have
men sieve I came to England. Miss Nettley used to
say th-t it was all fancy and born of reading books
about India. and that a child's memory is not formed