The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1886-11-06 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

WALL P.R. MRS. JARVIS stared at her husband in amazement, for she verily thought he had gone mad with the fright and werry. "In our house, John! Impossible !" "It's not impossible. It's true." "It couldn't be. I left everything 'safe and right when I went out. You didn't get up and set light to it yourself did you ?" "No, I didn't; but it began there for all that," he persisted. "I doubt you've been dreaming, old man," she said, soothingly. "I haven't carried match nor candle there since summer set in." 44 I know that, wife; but I'm right for all that. The fire began there; and these that set it alight didn't mean that I should ever come out of that house alive, or you either, if you had been there. But if you had been at home she couP not have done it" "She !" • "Yes." "Who ?" Mrs. Jarvis was getting more and more bewildered. Every strange word her husband spoke seemed to prove more clearly than ever that he was mad, and yet he seemed calm and rational enough in his manner." "I'm not raving," he said. "Come closer, and let me whisper in your ear. It was the woman who wanted to buy the picture of us—the queer creature in black that offered us the £100." " Johnl4 "It's as true as that I'm alive, and not burned in my bed at this minute. Hold your tongue till we are by ourselves, and then I'll tell you all about it." They were soon alone, for the good people of the house to which the bed-ridden man had been carried, went off again to see the excitement which still pervaded in the streets-, and left them to themselves with an intimation that they were "kindly welcome " to the shelter. "Now, John," Mrs. Jarvis said, breathlessly, 44 t-11 me all about it before they came back again. I can't think it's true; but I met that woman on the bridge when I was going over." "Then you met her coming to murder me. I was asleep. I know that much for I was dreaming of the little girl and her mother, and of the old times in Birmingham, and something, I don't know what, woke me up with a start. I was wide awake in a moment. You know the way when you wake in a fright?" "Yes, oh, yes. Go on." "Well, then, she stood right in the middle of the room, staring at me. Ah, you may shake your head, old woman; but she was no ghost, and no fancy, for I heard her step across the room quite plain, and the turn of the handle as she opened the door yonder. She went straight into the liitle room, and it seemed as though I was bewitched, for I could not move or speak for the life of me." "You are dreaming, my poor John—dreaming."  "No, I wasn't. I was as wide-awake as lam now, andyou'll know it some time, wife. She didn't stay In the other room two minutes, and then she came back and looked at me with hard, wicked eyes." I think you'd better have taken the £1.00,' says she; and I couldn't speak a word to answer her. It seemed as if my tongue were glued to the roof of my mouth, and she went straight out the room and down the stairs. I seemed to be counting her footsteps, for I heard her right down to the bottom; but I must have been a bit stupid, for I don't remember anything else till the place was all alight and full of smoke, and the neighbours, bless em! were taking me downstairs." " It's a queer thing," said Mrs. Jarvis, reflectively; "and if it's all just as you say, John-" "It is, every word of it." "Then it's just a confirmation of all we suspect and fear. "It's not much wonder they wanted that picture, if it was worth so much to them that they try to burn down half a dozen houses and risk the lives of scores of people for the sake of destroying it." "What E hall we do now ?" asked the old man. "Hold our tongues, in the first place. It's no use filling other people's mouths as well as our own; but we mustn't keep it to ourselves quite, for all that. I think the best thing we could do would be to tell Mr. Gibson." "I don't know but it would. He's a kind, goodhearted gentleman, and he knows something of the matter already. Mr. Mctsters didn't send you to him for nothing."