The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-28

 day. With Venetian mystery seek those No Thoroughfares at night, tempt the schoolmaster to follow, and catch him before he can retreat. I pass him then, undergoes grinding torments. Thus I en- joy the pleasures of the chase. When do not enjoy the pleasures of the chase for anything I know he watches at my door all night'
 q don't like this,' said Lightwood, soberly.
 ''Yod are a little hipped, my dear fell low rejoined wraybuSn. Come and enjoy the pleasures of the chase The sehoolmaster will no doubt, be ready"
 Lightwood was disturbed. He had been disturbed and grieved more than once, and had spoken seriously to wrayburn many times. But he so admired his friend, had been his admirer since boy hood. had indeed. modelley himself by him that he ended always, as he did then, by yielding.
 "Bravo!" said Wrayburn. "Or shall say Yoicks? A southerly wind and a cloudy sky proclaim 1t hunting even ingl We take the field
 When they got into the street, Wray- burn demanded with show of courteous patronage in which direction Mortimer would like the run to be. What to do you say to Bethnal Green?' he asked. "There is some difficult country about there.'
 They had not gone far before they saw Bradley Headstone following them. Docs it occur to you" said Wrayburn. that the boys of Merry England will deteriorate in an educational light, if this lasts long? The schoolmaster cant attend to me and the boys, too. Get your windl We're off,
 He went ahead at a tremendous pace, to breathe the schoolmaster. He lounged and loitered, to wear on his patience and nerves. He took preposterous ways, to disabpoint and punish him. He used every mode that his eccentric ingenuity could devise to torture him. Lightwood saw with astonishment how wary his careless friend was, and how much trou- ble his idle friend took. At last, far on in the third hour of the pleasures of the chase, when he had lea the poor, dog ging wretch back again into the city, he twisted Mortimer up a few dark al- | leys, twisted him sharply around again, and they almost ran against Bradley l Headstone.
 | And you see, as I was saying, Mort imer," remarked Wrayburn, with the ut most coolnsss as if there were no one witbn hearing but themselves, "and you see, as l was saying undergoing grinding torments."
 | It was not too strong a phrase. Look ing. not like the hunted, but like the hunter, worn with the exhaustion of baffled hope, consuming hate and anger | in his face, wild eyed, draggle haired l tortured with the knowledge that he showed it and that they exulted in it. Bradley Headstone went to them in the dark. So completely did the force of his expression dominate all the rest of him. that he went by them like a haggard head suspended in air.
 Mortimer Lightwood was not extraordi- narily impossible man, but the face frightened him. He spoke about it more than once on the way home. l <AllOl iIh5tliC hdu SbHC lO GitBDb He was awakened by hearing Lghtwood walk to his room and look in. Eugene, said Lightwood, T cannot lose sight of that fellows face"
 "Odd!" said Eugene. with light laugh. T can.' And he turned over and fell asleep again.
 Would he have fallen asleep again if he had known that at that moment the haggard head was bent close to the other door of his rooms, listening?
 The head fioated down the dark stair case again. The white lips muttered: Not therel But she might have been!" 1 Up came the sun, to find Eugene Wray- burn sleeping sweetly, with no shadow of evil dreams on his face, careless even in sleep. Up came the sun to find Brad ley Headstone washed and brushed, and dressed in decent black coat and waistcoat, with his decent silver watch in his pocket, and it's decent hair guard l around his neck, a decent, methodical scholastic huntsman-yet more really be- witched than the miserable creatures of | superstitious days, who were accused of | having joined in the Wild Hunt O nights He had been ridden. indeed by