The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-17

1a1-zz1 su11ss'-s us. Well, there is the tower of the cathedral, and we shall soon learn all that Miss Hunter has to tell.
 The Black Swan is an inn of repute in the High street, at no distance from the station, and there we found the young lady waiting for us She had engaged sitting room and our lunch awaited us upon the table
 q am so delighted that you have eome' she said, earnestly. Tt is so very kind of you both; but indeed l do not know what I should do Your advice will be altogether invaluable to me
 Pray tell LIS what has happened to you"
 'sI will do so, and l must be quick, for have promised MT. Rucastle to be back before three. l got his leave to come into town this morning. though he little knew for what purpose"
 Let us have everything in it's due or der" Holmes thrust his long, thin legs out toward the fire and composed him. self to listen.
 Tn the first place. may say that I have met on the whole. with no actual ill-treatment from MT. and Mrs. Rueas- tle It is only fair to them to say that But I cannot understand them, and am not easy in my mind about them.
 What can you not understandY
  you shall have 1t all just as il occurred When I came down MT. Rucastle met me here and drove me in his dog cart to the Copper Beeches. It is, as he said, beau tifuly situated, but it is not beautiful in itself, for 1t is large square block or house, whitewashed, but all stained and streaked with damp and bad weather There are grounds round it, woods on three sides, and on the fourth a field which slopes down to the Southampton high-road, which curves past about hundred yards from the front door. This ground in front belongs to the house, but the woods all round are part of Lord Southertons preserves. clump of cop per beeches immediately in front of the hall door has given it's name to the place. 'I was driven over by my employer, who was as amiable as ever, and was in troduced by him that evening to his wife and the children. There was no truth, MT. Holmes, in the conjecture which seemed to us to be probable in your rooms at Baker street. Mrs. Rucastle Is not mad l found her to be a silent, pale faced woman, much younger than her husband, not more than thirty, I should think, while he can hardly be less than 1 forty-hye. From their conversation have gathered that they have been mar ried about seven years, that he was | widower, and that his only child by the | first wife was the daughter who has gone l to Philadelphia. MT Rucastle told me in private that the reason why she had left them was that she had an unreasoning aversion to her stepmother. As the daughter could not have been less than twenty, can quite imagine that her po- sition must have been uncomfortable with her fathers young wife.
 1 Mrs. Rucastle seemed to me to be col i orless in mind as well as in feature She impressed me neither favorably nor the reverse She was a nonenity. It was i easy to see that she was passionately de- voted both to her husband and to her little son. Her light gray eyes wandered l continually from one to the other. noting l every little want and forestalling it if possible He was kind to her also in his l bluff bolsterous fashion, and on the whole they seemed to be a happy couple. And yet she had some secret sorrow, this woman She would often be lost in deep thought, with the saddest look upon her face. More than once l have surprised ! her in tears. I have thought sometimes that it was the disposition of her child which weighed upon her mind, for I have never met so utterly spoilt and so ill., natured little creature. He is small for his age. with a head which is quite dis proportionately large. His whole life ap- pears to be spent in an alteration be- tween savage fits of passion and gloomy intervals of sull1ing. Giving pain to any creature weaker than himself seems to be his one idea of amusement, and he shows quite remarkable talent in plan ming the capture of mice, little birds and l insects. But 1 would rather not talk | about the creature MT. Holmes, and, in- deed he has little to do with my story"
 q am glad # all details,' remarked my friend whether they seem to you to be relevant or not"
 'I shall try not to miss anything of importance The one unpleasant thing about the house, which struck me at | once was the appearance and conduct of the servants. There are only two a man and his wife Toller, for that Is his name, is d rough, uncouth man, with grizzled hair and whiskers, and per petual smell of drink. Twice since I have l been with them he has been quite drunk, and yet MT. Rucastle seems to take no notice of it. His wife is a very tall and strong woman with a sour face, as silent as Mrs. Rucastle. and much less amiable. They are a most unpleasant couple, but fortunately I spent most of my time in the nursery and my own room, which are next to each other in one corner of the building.
 For two days after my arrival at the Copper Beeches my life was very quiet; on the third, Mrs. Rucastle came down just after breakfast and whispered something to her husband.
 "'Oh, yes,' said he, turning to me; we are very much obliged to you, Miss Hun- ter, for falling in with our whims so far as to cut your hair. I assure you that l it has not detracted in the tiniest iota from your appearance. We shall now see how the electric-blue dress will become you. You will find 1t laid out upon the