The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-21

the spirit to higher things than matri- mony."
 Before Arthur followed Dinah to the Bede cottage in the company of Mir IT, win, he found a chance to ask Hetty If she ever walked in the Chase. Hetty replied that she passed through a portion of 1t daily and mentioned the hour she might be passing by the big beech tree.
 So poor Thas Bede was buried under the white thorn; the cottage settled down to its former life; Dinah went back to Snowfield in the next shire, where she worked in a mill; Adam sat long at night with Martin Poyser talking of car pentering and crops; and Hetty walked in the Chase and met Arthur Donni- thorne.
 But after while Arthur's conscience began to trouble him. He applied his usual remedy in such cases-made a set of brand-new. good resolutions and thought that would suffice. But his fav- orite remedy not working as well as usual he bethought him that he would ride over to Broxton. tell MT. Irwin just how matters stood and ask his advice. Of course this sort of thing must not go on any longer; that was clear. He saw with alarm that Hetty was getting alto gether too fond of him and he of her. He meant no harm, of course, but 1t was well to be careful.
 AS Arthur rode through the fresh morn ing air on his way to the rectory his thoughts were busy with future In which poor Hetty had no place. It would not be many years now, in the natural order of things. when his grandfather would sleep with his ancestors and Ar thur would reign in his stead So the young man dreamed his dream He would settle down on the estate, of course, and, some time, take a wife from one of the country families. He would be a model landlord-be1oved of all his ten antry. He fancied himself riding out in state with caps being doffed to him and his wife on every side-not taken off sul- lenly as they were to his grandfather. but eagerly. to show respect to the good squire.
 Almost before he knew 1t his horse stood at the gate of the rectory, and Hettyi came back to his memory with a jarring and discordant feeling. When Ar thur finally sat before the rector, the con- fession he had come to make suddenly became difficult. Why should he tell IT, win, after all? Was he not man enough to break away from such a small en- tangleInent as this by his own power?
 So, instead of talking of Hester Sorrell Arthur talked of the preparations which Were making for the entertainment to the tenants to celebrate his coming of age a week hence-for Arthur was still hardly more than a big boy-and he also told the rector that his grandfather had consented to have Adam Bede made over seer of the wood on the estate, a posi- tion which would not interfere with his carpenter work with Burgc.
 Then Arthur rode home very sure of himself, and glowing at the thought of Adams pleasure when he should be in- formed of his good fortune.
 It was some weeks after the birthday festivities that Hetty, one night, having locked the door of her room, took from a drawer a little leather case and opened it to gaze lovingly on a pair of garnet and pearl earrings.
 Little ears,'' Arthur had said, and when she exclaimed. with what seemed to him childish candor. "Oh, I wish I had a pair of pretty earrings to wear in them!" he had remembered.
 There came a knock and hastily put ting away her treasures-her principal thought concerning them, aside from how well they became her, had been their probable cost-Hetty opened the door to find Dinah Morris standing there. Dinah again had been visiting the Poysers. but was going away the next morning.
 Dinah, in her white nightrobe, her face full of subdued emotion, looked almost like a lovely corpse into which the soul had returned charged with sublimer se- crets and sublimer love.
 ''I knew you were not in bed, dear" she said. in her sweet, clear voice which was irritating to Hetty, it has been borne in upon me that you may some day be in trouble. If you ever are, will you re- member that you have friend in Dinah Morris and if you come to her or send to her. she will never forget the words of this night? Will you remember, Het- tyr"
 The solemn tone of Dinah and the word trouble" caused Hettys face to blanch.
 Why do you talk to me in that way?" said she. What do you want to frightep men for? Why can't you let me beg' And Dlnah went back to her own room to pray for the vain girl whose future troubled her soul
 One day, when Adam was talking to Hetty in the Poysers garden, he offered to take one of the children which the girl was holding. As he took the child 1t snatched at light chain around Het- tvs neck and a gold locket flew from her bodice to the ground.
 Adam picked it up and saw that it was a costly locket and in the back of it two locks of hair intertwined-a lock of black and one of light color. Adam felt pug z1ed alarm; he was sure none of her rel atives would have given Hetty such an expensive locket. But the girl took the trinket with apparent indifference and looked so innocent and childish that as usual the big carpenter. who saw most things clearly enough could not see the soul of Hetty Sorrell and dismissed his doubts
 Adam had been in charge of the Don nithorne Wood for some time. and had also come to manage nearly all the bus iness of Mir. Burge. when one day he went to the Chase farm to superintend some repairs.
 He was returning from the Chase when, just as he came to a large beech in glade near little summer house known as the Hermitage, he saw before him q man and woman holding each others hands and kissing each other on the lips.
 Adam stopped as if frozen suddenly in his tracks. The two were Arthur Donni- thorne and Hetty Sorrell.
 Hetty hurried away, but Arthur walked toward Adam, with an uneasy laugh, say ing: "Well. Adam, you have been look ing at the fine old beeches. eh? I over took that pretty Hetty Sorrell as I was coming to my den-the Hermitage there. She ought not to come home this way so late So I took care of her to the gate. and asked kiss for my pains. Good night. Adam. See you tomorrow to