The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

 her miserable lodgings when she fell i'll, and thereafter her sane and simple in- huence was the one delight that came into the poor little madwoman's starved life. Even Miss Elites colleague, the "madman from Shropshire who per sisted in addressing the court and could by no means be made to understand that the chancellor was legally ignorant of his existence after making it desolate for a quarter of century, was less furious and less mad when he saw her.
 Yet the shadow of that court was fall ing darkly on her, and falling darkly on those she loved
 Richard Carstone began to read up on Jarndyce and Jarndyce. He gave up the medical profession that he had been studying and was drawn, as If by that fatal Iodestone of the Arabian Nights, to- ward the fatal court.
 Rick! Rick" cried John Jarndyce with a sudden terror when he discovered it, and holding up his hands as if to stop his ears. flor the love of God, don't found a hope or expectation on the family cursel Better to beg, better to die!
 Richard listened with new expression in his face-an expression in which his old frank love for his guardian was being replaced by scheming, cold suspicion He showed openly that he thought John Jarndyce was planning to keep him out of the suit that he might win 1t for him self
 Esther tried in vain to bring him back to better thoughts. Even Ada, whom he had grown to love, was powerless. The evil magic of the great suit held him fast.
 The shadow of the court was falling, too, in directions unknown, unguessed. It was falling into the great house Of Sir Leicester Dedloek, and enveloping that unconscious baronet in its gloom. heed less of the fact that he was the mightiest of baronets, of family older than the hills and. in his majestic opinion, infinite ly more respectable.
 My Lady Dodlock, 20 years younger than her gray-haired husband, had brought him nothing besides her beauty except her share in the Jarndyce suit. How or why she was in it was more than my lady could tell. It bored her to hear legal documents and formal horrors as 1t bored her to go to the noble estate of the Dedloeks in Lincolnshire or 10 be the leader of fashion in London or to fit periodically to Paris. Sir Leicester Dedock admired her capacity for being bored as he admired all eumbrous, un- comfortable. aristocratic things, viewing i them as part of the British constitution, made especially for his honor and glory. Everybody knew that Lady Dedlock | had no money when the baronet married l her Envy said that she had not even i family. But Sir Leicester DedlocS had more than enough Of the latter and could dispense with more His gallantry toward 1 her which never changed from the time when he courted her, was the one little l touch of romantic fancy in him. 1 Lady Deadlock sat. bored to death, in the London house, listening idly, scornfully to 1 the family solicitor. MT. Tullinghorn, who had called to read a few new affldavits 1 in the suit MT Tulltinghorn rusty, mute. close unchangng, the very embodiment ] of repository of secrets. sat apparently oblivious to everything except his papers 1 But suddenly lSduY ltuioch tyo leu ul a document, copied in a hand different 1 from that of MT. Tukinghorn's clerks.
 Who copied that?'' asked she sharply. 1 The next instant she was Lady Ded- | lock again. bored and indifferent; but MT. | Tulkinghorn had shot single bright | glance to her over his great spectaces | while the mask was off
 l DO you wish me to find out for you, | my lady?" he asked.
 But Lady Dedlock was impassive, scorn-