The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-31


 Growlery, though John Jarndyce pro- tested that it had been quite fero- cious place before Dame Burden became an occupant of it. He declared that be- fore then the wind had been east with surprising constancy. Esther only laughed, for she had learned very early that whenever John Jarndyce met some disappointment or trouble that he could not hide from everybody he hid himself behind the excuse that the wind must be east
 She had so much reason to be happy, she had such reason to be grateful, that if she ever grieved over the sor- rowful mystery that enfolded her pa rents she put it away from her instant ly and turned to some work to occupy her mind more sensibly. From the be- ginning she had made up her mind to ask Mr.. Jarndyce nothing, for she was convinced that if he knew any thing, he would tell her if he thought it best. Somehow, this was understood between them. MT. Jarndyce looked at her with added affection eff that were possible) when she let him know that she trusted implicitly in him.
 1t was not till they had been to- gether many months that he broke his silence. Then it was only to tell her that many years ago he had received a letter from a woman who wrote AAohhiy tiol StlG Ntso llNlI6 all assumed name. She wrote with stern passion about child for which she was caring, and she spoke of it in such words as lived In Esther's remem- brance. She said that if she died the child would be left entirely friendless and alone and asked John Jarndyce if, in such g. case, he would care for her.
 The letter laid the injunction on him never to seek to see the writer, who long had been estranged from the world and was determined to remain so. q felt sorry for the little crea- ture, in her darkened life," said John Jarndyce, simply. q appointed my lawyer to look after her. My dear, have told you all.'
 Esther kept his hand for a little while in hers, but said not word.
 She repays me 10000 fold, and 20 more to thatl' said John Jarndyce, cherily making light of it.
 And oftener still she blesses her guardiani1 said Esther then.
 They never made any reference again to the old story, to the old pain of childhood, but turned their backs on the old shadows and put their hands to the things that the living day brought for them to do. John Jarndyce had so many people to look after that Dame Durden could not possibly fail to do the same. She thanked Heaven with new joy each night for the many, many happinesses that came to her, for the smiles and love that went out to her from poor as well as rich. and for the little deeds that she had been privileged to do.
 Yet while Bleak House refused so cheerfully to look back on any old, dark past, a shrewd, cold, implacable hunter was busted with her secret, and was to come awfully with it into her Ia. 1tr. nt dream of her.
 The hunter was old Mir Tulkinghorn | lawyer for the great Sir Leicester Ded- | lock, whose ancestry was as old as the hills and. in his mind. more important Between modest Bleak House and mag nificent Chesney Wold with its thou sands of acres that had been ruled for countless generations by noble Ded | locl<s between Esther Summerson with fer little bunch of housekeeping keys and Lady Dedlock, the reigning beauty of England, the delight of the fash | ionable intelligence, the crown of we'll | bred society there was a vast chasm, | indeed Yet the hunter-a rusty, spec tacled, dry, withered old hunter-was hunting Lady Dedlock. And one day, when his hunting was done, he told her a story. He told her of a beautiful young girl who had loved wild, dis 1 sipated man, a captain in the army. He told her of the daughter that had been | born to them. He told her how the captain. pressed by scandal and debts, | had fled and died. He told how this beautiful young girl had kept her se- cret and at last had married Uto one of the noblest houses of England, | It was only a story, told by MT. Tul- kington to amuse my lady, told with out names. My Lady Dedlock listened with her beautiful, weary. proud face as beautiful, weary and proud as ever. When MT. Tulkinghorn had finished, she arose, and passed slowly to the door. graceful and self-possessed.
 | That night, however. when MT. Tul- kinghorn had retired to his room that was always kept for him in Chesney | Wold she came to him. There was a disturbance in her eyes, but in all things else she was the same as she always had been, beautiful. weary, l