The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-13 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER,.

.Tarvis said, looking at the bowed figure and quiver-
ing face, she hopes still.'
What does she hope—what can she hope? Tell
me about her. Is she well? How does she bear it.?'
Like herself. Sit down here, Mr. Gayford ; you
are trembling all over. You must take some rest, or
you will be ill; and we shall want you by-and-by.'
Want me? What for?'
There was a startled, scared tone in the words that
Mr. Jarvis could not tind-e;iii-anar oertalnly the Rev.
Horace Gayford was not himself this morning.
For many things,' he rep ied. We shall want to
ask you a great many questions, I expect. No one
knew poor F-ank so intimately as you did or under-
stood his habits so well. The very smallest things
turn out a clue sometimes, you know.'
I can give no clue; I know nothing. How should

?'
Perhaps not; but you may know something that
seems or no conseciuence'in-yotir eyes that may be
just the straw to show which way the wind blows.
You were speaking of He'en. She bears this terrible
misfortune like herself. She is deeply agitated, of
course; hut she is calm and composed, and ready for
any emergency, any revelation.'
Your words sound like a reproach to me, Mr. Jarvis.
lam not calm and composed. I know it. My health
was something broken before this frightful business,
and I do not seem as if I could fight against this
nervous terror as a man ought.'
I don't wonder; it is unnerving me, and I am
pretty strong of will and nerves,' the lawyer said. 'I
am completely at fault for anything like a motive for
murder. The lad had no enemies, no rivals. If there
had been anyone dangling after our pretty Helen there
might have been a motive supplied, for Frank was
supposed to be her lawful possessor.
'Supposed, Mr. Jarvis!'
All, the word slipped out. I was thinking of every
possible aspect of the affair. In point of fact, the
affair was at an end; and till yesterday I was rather
eneasy about Frank on that account. I thought,
perhaps. th4t he might have done something rash in
his disarpointment. I might have spared myself any
anxiety on that score, I find.'
'l-I—don't understand,' said Horace Gayford ;
and his werds seemed to come out in gasps, as if he
spoke with difficulty. 6 What affair is at an end
'1 (-eight not to speak of it,' the lawyer said; 'in-
deed, I have some recollection of having promised to
keep it a sect; but this trouble had not come upon
us then. I have no doubt that Frank would have told
you himself in a very few days—l mean the affair
of the engagement, it was over before Frank dis-
appeared.'
Over
'Yes'

How?
By mutual consent. I was a blind old fool, I dare
say, not to have seen that it would come to that.. I
have been so accustomed to doing things by rule and
line, that I supposed two young folks with wills and
hearts of their own could be coerced into loving one
another, and marrying by-and-bye, according to the
wishes of their parents. They were wiser than I was,
and thoy took matters into their own bands and freed
themselves from their trammels. I was very much
disappointed for a few hours; but I think they were
right.'
'And Miss Ramsay is free?'
Free as air. I was afraid at first that poor Frank
had been too much in love with her to bear the dis-
appointment bravely, and had done some mad thing
in his heart-sickness. But there was nothing of that
sort; they agreed that they did not want to marry
each other, and were to be dear brother and sister to
each other for ever afterwards. Helen mourns him
none the less, for she loved him very dearly, but not
in that way. Here !—hi! you fellows down there!
Give me a hand, will you! This gentleman is ill !'
The last few words were shouted at the top of the
lawyer's voice to seine men who were just coming
slowly to their work in a neighbouring field: for
Horace Gayford had suddenly flung up his arms, with
a wild gasping cry, and fallen at Mr. Jarvis's feet
like a corpse.

Barney Grubb sat alone in his hut about the sam'e
hour, and thought. He had heard of Frank Hatter-
leigh's disappearance, but not as yet of Jack's appre-
hension. The problem of the sudden summons to his
mother's bedside was puzzling him very much. He
could not imagine who could have played him such a
trick, nor for what purpose. He thought no one in
Flillford knew where he came from, or who he was;
and yet he believed that the summons came from that
place. He had sern the woman who was
supposed to have written the letter, and found
that she had not seen his mother for some time.
That old lady was utterly ignorant of any plan for
bringing hf,r son to her, and joyful beyond measure
for the curious chance that had sent him to her. she
would have had him stay a week, but an odd feeling
had got hold of Barney that it was to oust him from
the ferry in some underhand way that he had been
decoyed from home, and he was not satisfied till he
had returned and taken up his old work. Donovan's
aecusation of deceiving him he treated as one of that
gentleman's drunken absurdities, though, to tell the
truth, Jack's father lred hardly evi-r been so sober in
his life as he was on that particular evening.
• Now then. what do you want?'
Barney lo ,ked up from his reverie to accost a man
who was peering in at the door, blocking it up in fact,
• so as to exclude the light.
• Came to see if you were at home,' was the reply;
and the man beckoned to someone outside, and the
pair came in. Barney knew them well; they were
the 'plain clothes policeman,' as the people of Hillford
called the officer who acted as detective in the town,
and one of the other officers with him.
We want you, Barney Grubb,' the first man said.
You know well enough what for. You had better
come quietly, and say as little as may be, it will all
go against, you, you know.'
What will?' .
Anything you say.'
What about? l'm not going to preach a sermon
that I kn)w of. What do you want me for?'
'We want you for the murder of Mr. Hatherleigh.
There's no need to talk about it; they'll let you do
that, maybe, at the office. Look out, Jeal.' And
before Barney had time to resist, or indeed to realise
what was coming upon h,M, the handcuffs were
slipped upon his wrists, and he stood between the two
men their prisoner.
That's right,' one of them said. 'Take it quie'Lly,
it's always the best way.'
'ls it ?' Barney said, with consummate coolness.
'Have you often been taken up for murder that you
know so much about it?'
'Come along,' said the other, ',there's no time to

lose.'
There's this much time to lose,' Barney said,
quietly, that I don't know anything about it, and I
don't go out of this place till I understand why I am
pitched upon to be taken up. I have been away, as
ev ryone knows, and you'll tell me everything there
is to be told about it before you get me a step from
here.'
You'll hear all about it soon enough,' the detective
said, decisively. We can't waste our time talking
here. You had better hold your tongue, Barney Grubb,
it will be worse for you if you don't.
Things will be difficult for you if you don't ex-
plain them to me,' Barney replied, quietly. 'I won't
stir from here till I know something about it; and
you'll find me rather hard to carry; I'm not light.'
Thus adjured, they told him what the reader knows
already; and how Donovan swore he had seen him in
the wood.
I can put all that to rights,' Barney said, when
it is necessary. I was miles away from here at the
time.'
'Will you hold your tongue and come along?
Everything that you say, whatever it is, will be used
again t you. Don't say I did not warn you.'
'All right, mate. They're on the wrong tack, that's
all. Donovan saw me, be says?'
'Just so.'
DOnoVall'El —Well, perhaps I had better not give
my opinion of anyone just now. Vm ready—stay a
bit I'd rather go along a little differentlyeto this,. if
you please.'
What do you mean?'
'I don't mind walking alongside either of you.
Folks might think we were taking a friendly stroll,
maybe. But I don't fancy going along the high road
with my hands fastened together like a hobbled
donkey. Can't you shift them for me?'
No, you don't get over me that way,' the officer in
charge said, shortly. Ile only saw a design to escape
in what was really Barney's shame at his handcuffed
wtists. Come along; we have wasted time enough
here already.'
Hide them, or I shall brain somebody with them,'
Barney said, quietly enough, but with such a look in
his eyes that they deemed it better to comply with his
request and throw his coat over his bonds. He looked
like a desperate man in that brief moment, and the
offi-ers were glad to get away with him.
Ho walked into Hillford quietly enough, and allowed
himself to be taken to the police office without a word.
He had been thinking all the way along of the whole
affair, and turning it over in his mind, and he resolved
to wait and hear what Donovan had to say before he
made any answer to the chargeagaiest him. He simply
and quietly denied his gu,lt, when he was asked if he
had anything to sty, and asked to be allowed to see
Mr. Jarvis, if that gentleman should be anywhere
about.
Meantime the lawyer was busy with Horace Gay-
ford. The men had come promptly to h's call, and
had raised the unlucky young man from the ground.
He appeared to be in some sort of a fit, and his con-
dition was alarming; SO they constructed a rude
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the many wonderful events which were happening to
keen the town in a ferment.
sure it's no wonder he's ill,' his landlady said,
as she received him at the door. He's never slept nor
eaten since the news came that the poor young gentle-
man was missing. He's walked about like a madman,
trying to get neva; of him. I hope it mayn't be the
death of him, poor dear, that I do.'
He was in good hands. The mistress of the house
where he lodged was one of his most devout wor-
shippers: And Mr. Jarvis left him, full of thought,
and went home to Fern Bank, to find the family just
assembling for breakfast, or a pretence of it, and to
hear, also, through the übiquit,ous Mary, that, Barney
Grubb had been taken, and was even now at the
police-office, waiting for further progeedings.
- (7'o be vontinueti. •