The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-09-24 00:00:00

Helen said. '1 thought something would have come
to lighe with that boy's reappearance. _ls it ever to be
explained?'
I I am afraid not, my dear; not through poor Jack,
at any rate.'
Tell me how you found him—and where.'
In a very unromantic and prosaic fashion indeed.
His maEtPr came to me about some law business, and
when I had occasion to see him again Jack was with
him, and I recognised the lad at once.'
_

Jack's master?'
Just so.- He was Starving in London—making a
living by holding horses and running errands—any-
thing that anybody could trust him to do, and N ery
little of it ; and be bud come to the last stage of
misery and despair, when the gentleman found him
and was struck by his face and appearance. He gave
him a job or two, and finally took him altogether. He
is rather an eccentric person, I fancy, and something
of an invalid. But it has been a good thing for
Jack.'
Mr. Jarvis spoke in a somewhat hesitating
manner, as if be were considering what to say
or his thoughts were elsewhere; but Helen did not
notice it. She was eager for any intelligence about
the boy, of whom she had thought much during her
stay at Biarritz.
' What sort of a man is his master?' she asked, after
a pause.
Well, there is nothing particular about him,' was
Mr. Jarvis's response. 'He is an invalid; was half
smashed in a railway accident, I believe, lately. I
have heard him set down as about fifty, but I have
not seen much of him; he seems a reserved sort of
man. Anyway, he has been very good to Jack, and
is going to have him instructed in whatever he seems
fit for.
There was not much that was interesting in Mr.
Stone's history. Helen asked his name, and nothing
afterwards. She was curiously disappointed that
nothing had come out with the finding of Ragged Jack.
Mr. Jarvis gave her more Hillford news, and left her
decidedly better and brighter for the sight of him. He
noticed that she asked no questions about Mr.
Gayford, and exhibited no interest when he told her
that he was gone away. Evidently her fear of the
reverend gentleman was dying out. He had trans-
ferred his disagreeable influence to poor Phyllis, Mr.
Jarvis thought, with a sigh; and ardently hoped that
he might never again come in contact with the
fascinating clergyman.
You have done her good,' Mrs. Churchill said to
him, when the family met at breakfast the next morn-
ing. Mr. Jarvis had taken up his quarters eta neigh-
bouring hotel, but came round to the villa early. She
is better than she has been any day since she was taken

lam thankful to hear it. What about your fancy,
Mrs. Churchill; has she said anything to you?'
Not a word. But it was not fancy.' And the lady
told the lawyer what she had heard. Shall I tell her?'
she aE' c 1.

Poor cord !' he said sympathisingly. I thought
it was so. No, I think I would not say anything about
it—we cannot bring the dead back to life again—let
her keep her secret. I suppose it is true that all things
are ordered for our good; but it seems a hard matter
to believe that all that has befallen Helen and our-
selves lately has been ordained by a beneficent Provi-
dence. What has that poor child done that she should
go through such sad experience? Don't think me a
heathen, Mrs. Churchill; one cannot always believe
blindly, you know.'
I have had the same thoughts myself very often,'
the lady said. 'They are wrong, I daresay ; but they
will come. Helen has taken a new fancy to-day.'

6 What is it?'
It arises out of your arrival, of course. She fancies
there is still something to be discovered in Raiford,
and tbat she will be fated to find it out. She wants to
go back directly.'
Don't encourage her in it. If she Once gets a mor-
bid notion that she is to be the agent in the discovery
there will be no limit to her fancies. It will become a
monomania with her. The thing is over. There is
nothing more to be found out. She must be kept
abroad till she is quite cured of that idea. That
dreadful pool of yours at Raiford never gives up any-
thing that is thrown into it. Don't let Helen fill her
head with such terrible kiwis.'
He spoke with some excitement, and Mrs. Churchill
was surprised to see that his hands actually shook as
he uttered the eager words.
Whatever is the matter with him?' she said to her-
self. 'Have his nerves given way, too p There would
be nothing surprising in it if they have; lawyers have
such wonderful things to attend to, they need nerves
of iron.'
Something of her thoughts was in her face, for Mr.
Jarvis laughed, and told her she was taking his words
too seriously.
I only wanted to impress on you that Helen would
be better away from Hillford for a while,' he said. 'if
you can make up your mind to a foreign Christmas I
would let the winter go by before I returned. You
may trust me for looking after Fern Bank, and not
letting it go wrong in your absence. I could even get
you a tenant, if you wished for one.'
Mrs. Churchill did not like the idea of that; her
home was her hobby, and the notion of letting
strangers in to do as they pleased with her furniture
and various home treasures was repugnant to her.
Well, well, don't think of it,' the lawyer said; it
shall be no loss to you as long as you stay away on
my poor girl's account. She will know how to thank
you when the time comes.'
It will be better for us all, I daresay,' Mrs.
Churchill said with a sigh. The girls have made
pleasant acquaintances here, and are happy enough.
I get a little homesick now and then; but it shall be as
you wish. We will tray here till after Christmas.'
That's all right,' Mr. Jarvis said to himself when he
was alone for a minute. lam not sure that this
illness of my pcor child's is not the best thing that
could have happened just now. It would not have
done at all to have had her coming back suddenly;
she would only have been upset and-- Yes, my
dear, lam coming. Helen is ready to see me, is she?
You and she have changed places. You were the
invalid, Madge, when I saw you all last:,

CHAPTER XXX.
A PROPOSAL.
U.
'We may outran, • :
By violent swiftness that which we ran at.
And lose by over running.'—SnmiEseEenr.

Ma. JARVIS had hard work to combat Helen's desire to
fp back to Hillford at once. She would be well
there, she declared, and her flushed cheeks and bright
eyes gave the lie to her words. It was a feverish
fancy, born of dreams of Frank, which had haunted
her all night—dreams in which he seemed to be
urging her on to something which was to let in the
light on the mystery of his disappearance, and
which could only be got at through her agency.
She was decidedly better, and urged her point quite
eloquently; but he would not listen to it, and in the
end he prevailed, and made her see that it was better
she should stay where she was. Mrs. Churchill
wished it. The father of lies must have been at his
elbows when he uttered this falsehood. The girls
were very happy at Biarritz and had nice friends
there, Sze., Sze., and Helen promised to be content. He
would keep her well informed ot all that went on, and
she need not fear that anything would be left undone
that was possible to find out the secret of Frank's
murder.
What has become of his money?' Helen asked
Suddenly, apropos of nothing, as it seemed.
Whose money, my dear?' Mr. Jarvis asked.
Frank's. He had a good deal, had he not?
'Pretty well.'

'And wh: re is it? Have his relations taken it F
'My dear, why do you want to know? Have you
anything to suggest about it?'
No. Only I was wondering whether it had all
been spent in trying to find out who killed him.
Not a tithe of it, child! I was not likely to
allow it to be wasted. It was in my hands you
know.'
' Was?'
Is. That is the word I should have used. I have
had several claims put in for it. There are no near
relations, you know; but I have not seen my way yet
to giving it up to anyone. I shall do so to the proper
person when they have quite settled who is the next
of kin.'
Ah, don't talk like that,' Helen said with a shiver.
Whenever I hear of next of kin, I always feel as if I
was going to someone's funeral. I can't bear to
think of poor Frank's next of kin claiming his
money.'
' They won't have it yet awhile,' the lawyer said
quietly. You shall hrar all about it when they do;
and whatever set her on to question me like that,' he
said to him elf; she and I had better part for awhile,
I can see, till the notion has died out of her head a
little. It is too exciting a topic for her just now.'
With many a promise that he would come again if
be were wantcd Mr. Jarvis left the little household
at Biarritz, feeling that there Helen was safe. He had
his own reasons for wishing her to be away from
England just now. He was making various enquiries
and observations that would of a surety have come to
her ears if she had been in Hillford. He was not
satisfied himself that something more could not be
found out, and in Helen's excited and delicate state of
health the very knowledge of his proceedings would
ensg,
apnodinHtele has have been injurious.
beYenogtiathinraed nlliiesthe
mostquickly when
rtaht
life had been at no time in danger. By the timeth at
iltlunrenssi
Christmas had arrived, the Christmas that Frank ad
high
planned to make so pleasant, she was on the
road to recovery, delicate still, but able to enjoy the
soft air and the sunshine, so different from the
fogs
and wet that are too often the accompaniments of
the festive season in our own capricious climate.
Christmas Eve was fine and bright, with blue sky
and calm sea, and Helen stole away in the afternoon
and sought a favourite nook on the beach not much
frequented by the visitors and residents, and sat
down idly watching the waves and thinking how
strange and unhomeiike it was to be able to sit out
of doors at that season of the year. The morning had
brought her many 'souvenirs from English friends.
She was by no means forgotten. Mr. Jarvis had sent
her a handsome present, and a loving letter that was
worth all the gifts in the world put together; and
his wife had opened her heart and sent hr an offering
In the shape of a very elegant dressing case and a
kind letter, in which she said, and truly, that she hoped
to see more of her husband's ward when she returned
to England. She did not say, 'Let bygones be by-
gones,' but the tone of her latter: said it, and Helen
was•lep.-104 and cheered by its arrival.