Sa

220

WI NNIE CORSELLIS; OR, DEATH IN THE POT.

re a partner to share the work, which increased
'so much that he could not manage it alone. It
happened, therefore, that George Ferrars took up
his residence in a small house in Church Street,
about the same time that Winifred Corsellis became
an inmate of her sister’s house.

| The young people were naturally thrown to-
gether a good deal, for Mr. Hammond liked his
partner, and often asked him to his house, till, by
degrees, Mr. Ferrars walked in and out of the
drawing-room as freely as its owner, and spent
most of his leisure evenings by their fireside.
There were many handsomer girls than Winnie
Corsellis among the Dudley young ladies, and many

| far richer, for Winnie had only 50/. a year of her

own, while the daughters of the great iron-masters

| . .
/and coal-owners counted their dowries by thou-

sands. But George Ferrars found himself think-
ing more about the slight dark little girl whom he
encountered so often in her plain morning-dress,
sometimes with very ruffled hair—for the baby was

| fond of clutching it with both his dimpled hands

and pulling it out of place—than of the handsomely

attired young ladies, whom he never saw except in
faultless attire, and in that general state of perfection

_which befits girls in the presence of a possible hus-
/ band. When Mr. Ferrars found himself beginning to

like Winnie, he spoke to Mr, Hammond, offering to
leave off his visits to the house; but after talking
the matter over with his wife, they both agreed that

| it would be well to let matters take their course.

“ There’s no fellow I shoald like to trust her with

| so well,” said Mr. Hammond; “Iam sure he will

make her a good husband.”

“And as to their not marrying yet, there is no
harmin that; I should not know what to do without
Winnie, now the children are so small.”

“We are taking it for granted that she will say
‘yes,’ when Ferrars asks her,” laughed Mr. Ham-
mond : “suppose it should be the other way?”

“Then I think George will try again.
won’t take the first ‘no’ for a final answer.”

But when the question was asked, Winnie did
not say “no” at all. She had learnt to like George
Ferrars long before it crossed her mind that he
was in love with her, and when that knowledge
dawned upon her by degrees, and she saw what
was coming, the liking changed to a warmer feel-
ing, and they were very thoroughly in love with each
other by the time the engagement was declared.

Matters had only been arranged a short time
when the town was startled by hearing that a
case of cholera had appeared in the neighbourhood.

He

country, breaking out here and there with terrible
violenee, yet passing over some towns while it
decimated others. People were all talking about

cholera, and the newspapers were full of it.

+ |
New

| shingle after a retreating wave.
For many weeks the disease had hovered over the,

remedies were published in nearly every impression
of the Lancet, and found their way into the Times,
but still every body felt that no certain cure for
the frightful disease was known. Sanitary measures
had been talked of, but little was done. In those
times people did not believe that dirt and smells
were actual poison, they were only nuisances ; and
nuisances abounded in Dudley as in all other closely
populated towns, where trade flourished and hands
were always in demand.

“Tf we do have cholera it will be with a
vengeance,” Mr. Hammond had said, when talking
to his partner.

“Tt will; one case will be enough to infect the
town.”

“Tf it comes here, I think I shall send Jane and
the children out into the country.”

“And Winnie also. They will be better away,
and we shall be happier, though I don’t suppose
they will.”

“Perhaps not, but being about among it so
much, I should be terribly afraid of bringing it
back to them.
the disease spreads, but we might give it to them,
and at any rate they had better breathe a purer
air and be out of the depressing influences of the
place. It will be dismal enough if the cholera
spreads, as I expect it will.”

“Where had they better go?” asked George.

“T don’t know exactly; not too far off, in case
of any thing happening.”

George knew what he meant by that. Supposing
either of them fell before the disease, it would be
well to have the dear faces within reach to say a last
good-bye to wife, children, and sister before the end.

“There must be lots of places about, if one only
knew where to lay one’s hand on them. I'll ask a
few people to-day ; perhaps we may hear of the
right thing through some one.”

And going about among his patients Mr. Ferrars
had asked one and another if they could tell him
of any country lodgings within easy reach; some
one had mentioned Beechley, and the first time he
could get away he had ridden over to look at the
Castle Farm, but without going into the house.

“Tt is just the thing,” he said to Mr. Hammond
on his return. “Quiet and out of the way, they
won’t hear much about cholera or any thing else,
unless they read newspapers, and we can be too
busy to send many of them. The air is splendid ; it
felt like a sea-breeze rushing across my face, and the
sound of the beech leaves was like the drag of the
They must be

There is no saying for certain how

safe up there, I should think.”

*T hope so!” said Mr. Hammond, with a sigh.
* At least we shall have done our best.”

* And the sooner they go the better. I heard
to-day that cholera is raging in Tipton—it must