The Dickinson press., 1894-10-13

UaPorS.

"Well, yes; 1 daresay 1t is. But you
know what the Frenchman says about
the unexpected"
LET me consider 1t for u day; and il
I decide to go l shall he ready to set
out at once"
"Oh. yes; consider it. and consult
your friends. But if you do not 20,
nobody will CO."
l went Immediately from him to Bir-
ley, and stated ut once the %extraOrdin-
airy offer l had received.
Go. lad" said he; 1T will be a pleas
ant holiday for you. and the poor wom-
an. OF course would rather Sec some
body from Manuel than only get a let
ter from him."
L hcsitated: I did not desire a holi-
day then. v g on the continent. where
l had never been. but at the same time
some change was becoming necessary,
considering the low condition to which
my finances had sunk.
But" said /. II believe he has ask
ed me only to get me out of the way
for some purpose. l thing lie suspects
l nave been finding out something
more"
AIN Will uOCS Ulill luslttcTs slSkGu
Birley. look here, my lad; l know
you're in a way about Louise. Now IL
strikes me that il YOU so away for a lit
tle while land You may as we'll go at
Manuel'S %eXpense,) things may turn
out better for YOU than Q may think.
You see at the same time as you are
away. he is away too. Frank must
comc back to the works, and there will
be no reason for keeping Louise at
Blackpool. Take my word for IL he'll
bring her home; l shall manage to see
her. and If she claims my protection
as her other guardian, I shall take her
home with me. and when he comes
back he can't take her from me. Don't
you see. lad?"
But" l agein objected. Il feel that !
ought to stay here to attend TO that
other matter"
"Oh. that can wait" said he. ut will
take no harm for Il week Oh two"
l admitted the force of the reasons
he urged. and all next day (Which WAS
Sunday l turned them over. My going
might certainly he to LOuisc's advan-
tage and to my own. Even il Stein
hardt brought her back to Timperley
only for a visit Of a few days. there
would be sufficient opportunity for
Birley to take her home to himself.
On the other hand. my refusal to go
would bring no advantage. And might
not, indeed. Steinhardt's offer be a sug-
gestion of Providence?
So on Monday morning l called on
S%teinhardt and said l was ready to set
out at once. and in the afternoon I was
whirling through beautiful Dcrbyshire,
on my way to London and the conti-
nent. l could not forbcar feeling some
thing like delight ut the change from
terrible Timpcrlcy to these bright
unconstitutional 1 scarcely knew where
L was iourncying. Of for what.
The first night Of my journey l rest
cd in London. l went to that hotel
Bacon's) in Great Queen street, where
MIR. I1acrOiX had commonly stayed on
mis- visits to London. I had Il vague
hope of hearing or finding something
concerning him which might be of use.
even asked that | might have the
room. which he had last occupied.
When shut into it for the night i al
most wishe 1 had asked for
any other rather than that.
The aspect of it's sombre, heavy, old
fashioned furniture gave me n chill
%creepiness Of sensation. Many men,
doubtless. had slept in it since the
night of March Is. 1882. but l could
only see it as il it had been last by
MI. L1acrOix. and think of his silent
presence %pervading it. 1 must even
confess that l furtively looked into
drawers and corners, as If there might
still be left some trace of him, but I
found nothing of more consequence
than u shirtbutton. and a shirt stud or
two, which might have belonged to any
one.
l left Victoria Station next morning
Mt 10 O'Clock, by the continental mail
train and soon was travelling in the
October sunshine. through my own
England of the south, toward Dover.
The sea was pretty smooth, 10 that,
when ] landed at Calais, I was free
to consider the sensation of being for
the first time in a foreign land. But
We were rapidly whirled away toward
Amiens. l was wretched, cold and
hungry, when, about seven o'clock in
I permitted myself to be taken to a no.
tel. where I ordered breakfast. After
partaking of which I revived and be-
gan to think OF the errand on which I
had come.
I discovered that Fraulein Emile
Haas lived in one Of a row Of old tall
houses mot unlike some of those In the
city of Edinburgh,) with little windows
in the steep grey roofs, which gave
the impression of eyes with sleepy,
heavy lids. Up and up the bare. stairs
of the house I stepped, till I think I
was on the fourth fioor-at any rate,
I wat as high as I could climb. I
knocked at the door of a humble
apartment Of rooms, and an old
wrinkled woman appeared. I inquired
in German for Fraulein Haas, and was
informed she was from home, giving
her daily lessons" She was not, then,
i'll? Oh, no. she was not ill--she was
well. I asked when she would be at
home. and was told "at five o'clock in
the afternoon" So I departed till
then, with about six hours in which to
tax my ingenuity in guessing why
Fraulein Haas's demand to see Stein
hardt had been so urgent. since she
was not dying nor " i'll.
At five o'clock I called again, and
found Fraulein Haas ut home. I was
asked to come in-into a plainly, in.
deed, according to English notions,
prm.rly furnished room. with q scrap OF
worn carpet III the middle Of its white
boarded floor. l looked %curiously at the
Fraulein. She was Il mid,lla-aled
woman, of the thin, nervous type Of
German Tor, perhaps, SWISS, with
bright, Keen, gray eyes. She rose, smit-
ing. but perplexed, to receive me, but
waited for me to state my business.
II come from England" l said, in
German.
"Tnen you do not want me to give
LESSONS" said s'" "n,shtng away a
prospectus" evidv, lad ready fcr
presentation; my mother thought you
had come for that"
NO." said II come from England
to see you, and then to go back again"
She looked bcwildcrel. I took from
my pocket a copy Of the Ii hes aGver.
tisement, and handed it to her. At
once the expression of her face chang.
ed; pale before, it became paler now
and her eyes seemed to dilate, as with
fear.
"But you," said she, ARE not EN-.
MAMMAL Cfoinho rd&2 Dowl,ooo ho-,