The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-29

| away with livid face and two venomous eyes which uttered more threats than his tongue could do. don't know what passed between the poor dad and him after that, but the dad came to me next day and asked me whether 1 would mind apologiz- ing to Hudson. refused, as you may im- agine. and asked my father how he could allow such a wretch to take such lib- critics with himself and his household.
 "."--Ah, my boy" said he. it is all very well to talk, but you don't know how I am placed. But you shall know, Victor. I'll see that you shall know, come what may. You wouldn't believe harm of your poor old father, would you, ladY He was very much moved, and shut him self up in the study all day. where I could see through the window that he was writ ing busiiy.
 ".That evening there came what seemed l to me to be a grand release, for Hudson told us that he was going to leave us. He walked into the dining room as we sat after dinner. and announced his intention in the thick voice of a half-drunken 1 man.
 "rve had enough of Norfolk" he said. "Ill run down to MT. Beddoes In Hampshire He'll be glad to see me as you were, dare say"
 "' You're not going away in an un- kiflu SpiTll, iiopV, SoAo fas father with a tameness which made my blood boil.
 "'"rve not had my apology" said he sulkily, looking in my direction. l ''Victor, you will acknowledge that 1 you have used this worthy fellow rather roughly" said the did. turning to me. "On the contrary. I think that we 1 have both shown extraordinary patience l towards him." answered.
 " "Oh you do do you?'' he snarled. i "Very good, mate. We'll see about that!' He slouched out of the room, and 1, half an hour afterwards left the house, 1 leaving my father in a state of pitiable 1 nervousness. Night after night l heard | him pacing his room, and 1t was just as | he was recovering his confidence that l the blow did at last fall
 | "'And how?' asked eagerly.
 Tn a most extraordinary fashion. A l letter arrived for my father yesterday evening, bearing the Fordingbridge post i mark. My father read it, clapped both 1 his hands to his head, and began running 1 around the room in little circles like a man who has been driven out of his | senses When I at last drew him down l onto the sofa, his mouth and eyelds were ! all puckered on one side, and l saw that | he had a stroke Dr. Fordham came over at once. We put him to bed; but the pa ralysis has spread, he has shown no sign of returning consciousness, and l think that we shall hardly find him alive
 "'You horrify me, Trevorr I cried | What then could have been in this letter | to cause so dreadful a result7' Nothing. There Hes the inexplicablt part of it. The message was absurd ano trivial An, my God. it Is as I feared
 ''As he spoke we came round the curve of the avenue and saw in the fading ligh
 that every blind in the house had beer drawn down. As we dashed up to the dool | my friends face convulsed with grief, gentleman in black emerged from 1t.
 When did 1t happen, doctor?" asked Trevor.
 Almost immediately after you left
 Did he recover consciousness?
 !" For an instant before the end.'
 Any message for me?'
 l " Only that the papers were in thu
 back drawer of the Japanese cabinet
 My friend ascended with the doctor tt the chamber of death, while I remained In the study. turning the whole matter over and over in my head. and feeling as sombre as ever I had done in my life What was the past of this Trevor, pugil ist, traveller and gold digger. and how had he placed himself in the power of this acid-faced seaman? Why, too. should hs faint at an allusion to the half -effacet initials upon his arm, and die of fright when he had a letter from Fordingham Then 1 remembered that Fordingham was in Hampshire. and that this MT. Beddoes
 when the seaman had gone to visit ant presumably to blackmail had also beer mentioned as living In Hampshire. The