第13章

Havingestablishedmyselfinmyowncountry，Ididnotforgettoletoldfriendsknowwheretheymightfindme。AmongthosetowhomIwrotewasanothercolleagueofpastyears，whostillheldhismedicalappointmentintheprison。WhenIreceivedthedoctor’sreply，itinclosedaletterdirectedtomeatmyoldquartersintheGovernor’srooms。WhocouldpossiblyhavesentalettertoanaddresswhichIhadleftfiveyearssince？MycorrespondentprovedtobenolessapersonthantheCongregationalMinister——thefriendwhomIhadestrangedfrommebythetoneinwhichIhadwrittentohim，onthelong—pastoccasionofhiswife’sdeath。

Itwasadistressinglettertoread。Ibegpermissiontogiveonlythesubstanceofitinthisplace。

Entreatingme，withtouchingexpressionsofhumilityandsorrow，toforgivehislongsilence，thewriterappealedtomyfriendlyremembranceofhim。Hewasinsoreneedofcounsel，underseriousdifficulties；andIwastheonlypersontowhomhecouldapplyforhelp。Inthedisorderedstateofhishealthatthattime，heventuredtohopethatIwouldvisithimathispresentplaceofabode，andwouldlethimhavethehappinessofseeingmeasspeedilyaspossible。Heconcludedwiththisextraordinarypostscript：

"Whenyouseemydaughters，saynothingtoeitherofthemwhichrelates，inanyway，tothesubjectoftheirages。Youshallhearwhywhenwemeet。"

Thereadingofthisletternaturallyremindedmeoftheclaimswhichmyfriend’snobleconducthadestablishedonmyadmirationandrespect，atthepasttimewhenwemetintheprison。Icouldnothesitatetogranthisrequest——strangelyasitwasexpressed，anddoubtfulastheprospectappearedtobeofmyansweringtheexpectationswhichhehadfoundedontherenewalofourintercourse。Answeringhisletterbytelegraph，Ipromisedtobewithhimonthenextday。

Onarrivingatthestation，IfoundthatIwastheonlytraveler，byafirst—classcarriage，wholeftthetrain。Ayounglady，remarkablebyhergoodlooksandgooddressing，seemedtohavenoticedthistriflingcircumstance。Sheapproachedmewithareadysmile。"IbelieveIamspeakingtomyfather’sfriend，"shesaid；"mynameisHelenaGracedieu。"

HerewasoneoftheMinister’stwo"daughters"；andthatoneofthetwo——asIdiscoveredthemomentIshookhandswithher——whowasmyfriend’sownchild。MissHelenarecalledtomehermother’sface，infinitelyimprovedbyyouthandhealth，andbyanaturalbeautywhichthatcruelanddeceitfulwomancouldneverhavepossessed。Theslantingforeheadandtheshifting，flashingeyes，thatIrecollectedintheparent，werereproduced（slightlyreproduced，Ioughttosay）inthechild。Asfortheotherfeatures，Ihadneverseenamorebeautifulnoseandmouth，oramoredelicately—shapedoutline，thanwaspresentedbythelowerpartoftheface。ButMissHelenasomehowfailedtocharmme。I

doubtifIshouldhavefalleninlovewithher，eveninthedayswhenIwasafoolishyoungman。

ThefirstquestionthatIput，aswedrovefromthestationtothehouse，relatednaturallytoherfather。

"Heisveryill，"shebegan；"Iamafraidyoumustprepareyourselftoseeasadchange。Nerves。Themischieffirstshoweditself，thedoctortellsus，inderangementofhisnervoussystem。Hehasbeen，Iregrettotellyou，obstinateinrefusingtogiveuphispreachingandpastoralwork。Heoughttohavetriedrestattheseaside。Thingshavegoneonfrombadtoworse。

LastSunday，atthebeginningofhissermon，hebrokedown。Very，verysad，isitnot？Thedoctorsaysthatprecioustimehasbeenlost，andhemustmakeuphismindtoresignhischarge。Hewon’thearofit。Youarehisoldfriend。Pleasetrytopersuadehim。"

Fluentlyspoken；thewordswellchosen；themelodiousvoiceremindingmeofthelateMrs。Gracedieu’sadvantagesinthatrespect；littlesighsjudiciouslythrowninhereandthere，justattherightplaces；everything，letmeown，thatcouldpresentadutifuldaughterasapatternofpropriety——andnothing，letmeadd，thatcouldproduceanimpressiononmyinsensibletemperament。IfIhadnotbeentoodiscreettorushatahastyconclusion，Imighthavebeeninclinedtosay：hermother’schild，everyinchofher！

TheinterestwhichIwasstillabletofeelinmyfriend’sdomesticaffairscenteredinthedaughterwhomhehadadopted。

InherinfancyIhadseenthechild，andlikedher；Iwastheonepersonliving（sincethedeathofMrs。Gracedieu）whoknewhowtheMinisterhadconcealedthesadsecretofherparentage；andI

wantedtodiscoverifthehereditarytainthadbeguntoshowitselfintheinnocentoffspringofthemurderess。JustasIwasconsideringhowImightharmlesslyspeakofMissHelena’s"sister，"MissHelenaherselfintroducedthesubject。

"MayIask，"sheresumed，"ifyouweredisappointedwhenyoufoundnobodybutmetomeetyouatourstation？"

Herewasanopportunityofpayingheracompliment，ifIhadbeenayoungerman，orifshehadproducedafavorableimpressiononme。Asitwas，Ihit——ifImaypraisemyself——onaningeniouscompromise。

"WhatexcusecouldIhave，"Iasked，"forfeelingdisappointed？"

"Well，Ihearyouareanofficialpersonage——Ioughttosay，perhaps，aretiredofficialpersonage。Wemighthavereceivedyoumorerespectfully，if_both_myfather’sdaughtershadbeenpresentatthestation。It’snotmyfaultthatmysisterwasnotwithme。"

Thetoneinwhichshesaidthisstrengthenedmyprejudiceagainsther。Ittoldmethatthetwogirlswerelivingtogetheronnoveryfriendlyterms；anditsuggested——justlyorunjustlyIcouldnotthendecide——thatMissHelenawastoblame。

"Mysisterisawayfromhome。"

"Surely，MissHelena，thatisagoodreasonforhernotcomingtomeetme？"

"Ibegyourpardon——itisabadreason。Shehasbeensentawayfortherecoveryofherhealth——andthelossofherhealthisentirelyherownfault。"

Whatdidthismattertome？Idecidedondroppingthesubject。Mymemoryreverted，however，topastoccasionsonwhichthelossof_my_healthhadbeenentirelymyownfault。Therewassomethinginthesepersonalrecollections，whichencouragedmyperversetendencytosympathizewithayoungladytowhomIhadnotyetbeenintroduced。Theyounglady’ssisterappearedtobediscouragedbymysilence。Shesaid："Ihopeyoudon’tthinktheworseofmeforwhatIhavejustmentioned？"

"Certainlynot。"

"Perhapsyouwillfailtoseeanyneedofmyspeakingofmysisteratall？Willyoukindlylisten，ifItrytoexplainmyself？"

"Withpleasure。"

Sheslylysetthebestconstructiononmyperfectlycommonplacereply。

"Thankyou，"shesaid。"Thefactis，myfather（Ican’timaginewhy）wishesyoutoseemysisteraswellasme。Hehaswrittentothefarmhouseatwhichsheisnowstaying，totellhertocomehometo—morrow。Itispossible——ifyourkindnessoffersmeanopportunity——thatImayasktobeguidedbyyourexperience，inalittlematterwhichinterestsme。Mysisterisrash，andreckless，andhasaterribletemper。Ishouldbeverysorryindeedifyouwereinducedtoformanunfavorableopinionofme，fromanythingyoumightnoticeifyouseeustogether。Youunderstandme，Ihope？"

"Iquiteunderstandyou。"

Tosetmeagainsthersister，inherownprivateinterests——there，asIfeltsure，wasthemotiveunderwhichshewasacting。Ashardashermother，asselfishashermother，and，judgingfromthosetwobadqualities，probablyascruelashermother。ThatwashowIunderstoodMissHelenaGracedieu，whenourcarriagedrewupatherfather’shouse。

Amiddle—agedladywasonthedoorstep，whenwearrived，justringingthebell。Shelookedroundatusboth；beingevidentlyascompleteastrangertomyfaircompanionasshewastome。Whentheservantopenedthedoor，shesaid：

"IsMissJillgallathome？"

Atthesoundofthatoddname，MissHelenatossedherheaddisdainfully。Shetooknosortofnoticeofthestranger—ladywhowasatthedoorofherfather’shouse。Thisyoungperson’scontemptforMissJillgallappearedtoextendtoMissJillgall’sfriends。

Inthemeantime，theservant’sanswerwas："Notathome。"

Themiddleagedladysaid："Doyouexpectherbacksoon？"

"Yes，ma’am。"

"Iwillcallagain，laterintheday。"

"Whatname，ifyouplease？"

Theladystoleanotherlookatme，beforeshereplied。

"Nevermindthename，"shesaid——andwalkedaway。

CHAPTERXXXIII。

THEMINISTER’SMISFORTUNE。

"Doyouknowthatlady？"MissHelenaasked，asweenteredthehouse。

"Sheisaperfectstrangertome，"Ianswered。

"Areyousureyouhavenotforgottenher？"

"WhydoyouthinkIhaveforgottenher？"

"Becausesheevidentlyrememberedyou。"

Theladyhadnodoubtlookedatmetwice。Ifthismeantthatmyfacewasfamiliartoher，IcouldonlyrepeatwhatIhavealreadysaid。Never，tomyknowledge，hadIseenherbefore。

Leadingthewayupstairs，MissHelenaapologizedfortakingmeintoherfather’sbedroom。"Heisabletositupinanarmchair，"

shesaid；"andhemightdomore，asIthink，ifhewouldexerthimself。Hewon’texerthimself。Verysad。Wouldyouliketolookatyourroom，beforeyouseemyfather？Itisquitereadyforyou。Wehope"——shefavoredmewithafascinatingsmile，devotedtowinningmyheartwhenherinterestsrequiredit——"wehopeyouwillpayusalongvisit；welookonyouasoneofourselves。"

Ithankedher，andsaidIwouldshakehandswithmyoldfriendbeforeIwenttomyroom。Wepartedatthebedroomdoor。

ItisoutofmypowertodescribetheshockthatoverpoweredmewhenIfirstsawtheMinisteragain，afterthelongintervaloftimethathadseparatedus。Nothingthathisdaughtersaid，nothingthatImyselfanticipated，hadpreparedmeforthatlamentablechange。Forthemoment，Iwasnotsufficientlymasterofmyselftobeabletospeaktohim。Headdedtomyembarrassmentbythehumilityofhismanner，andtheformalelaborationofhisapologies。

"IfeelpainfullythatIhavetakenalibertywithyou，"hesaid，"afterthelongestrangementbetweenus——forwhichmywantofChristianforbearanceistoblame。Forgiveit，sir，andforgetit。Ihopetoshowthatnecessityjustifiesmypresumption，insubjectingyoutoawearisomejourneyformysake。"

Beginningtorecovermyself，Ibeggedthathewouldmakenomoreexcuses。Myinterruptionseemedtoconfusehim。

"Iwishedtosay，"hewenton，"thatyouaretheonemanwhocanunderstandme。Thereismyonlyreasonforaskingtoseeyou，andlookingforwardasIdotoyouradvice。Yourememberthenight——orwasittheday？——beforethatmiserablewomanwashanged？YouweretheonlypersonpresentwhenIagreedtoadoptthepoorlittlecreature，stainedalready（onemaysay）byitsmother’sinfamy。IthinkyourwisdomforesawwhataterribleresponsibilityIwasundertaking；youtriedtopreventit。Well！

well！youhavebeeninmyconfidence——youonly。Mind！nobodyinthishouseknowsthatoneofthetwogirlsisnotreallymydaughter。Praystopme，ifyoufindmewanderingfromthepoint。

MywishistoshowthatyouaretheonlymanIcanopenmyheartto。She——"Hepaused，asifinsearchofalostidea，andleftthesentenceuncompleted。"Yes，"hewenton，"Iwasthinkingofmyadoptedchild。DidIevertellyouthatIbaptizedhermyself？

andbyagoodScripturenametoo——Eunice。Ah，sir，thatlittlehelplessbabyisagrown—upgirlnow；ofanagetoinspirelove，andtofeellove。Iblushtoacknowledgeit；Ihavebehavedwithawantofself—control，withacowardlyweakness。——No！Iam，indeed，wanderingthistime。IoughttohavetoldyoufirstthatIhavebeenbroughtfacetofacewiththepossibilityofEunice’smarriage。And，tomakeitworsestill，Ican’thelplikingtheyoungman。Hecomesofagoodfamily——excellentmanners，highlyeducated，plentyofmoney，agentlemanineverysenseoftheword。AndpoorlittleEuniceissofondofhim！Isn’titdreadfultobeobligedtocheckherdearly—lovedPhilip？Theyounggentleman’snameisPhilip。Doyoulikethename？IsayIamobligedtocheekhersweetheartintherudestmanner，whenallhewantstodoistoaskmemodestlyformysweetEunice’shand。Oh，whathaveInotsuffered，withoutawordofsympathytocomfortme，beforeIhadcourageenoughtowritetoyou！ShallImakeadreadfulconfession？Ifmyreligiousconvictionshadnotstoodinmyway，IbelieveIshouldhavecommittedsuicide。Putyourselfinmyplace。Trytoseeyourselfshrinkingfromanecessaryexplanation，whenthehappinessofaharmlessgirl——sodutiful，soaffectionate——dependedonawordofkindnessfromyourlips。

Andthatwordyouareafraidtospeak！Don’ttakeoffense，sir；I

meanmyself，notyou。Whydon’tyousaysomething？"heburstoutfiercely，incapableofperceivingthathehadallowedmenoopportunityofspeakingtohim。"GoodGod！don’tyouunderstandme，afterall？"

Thesignsofmentalconfusioninhistalkhadsodistressedme，thatIhadnotbeencomposedenoughtofeelsureofwhathereallymeant，untilhedescribedhimselfas"shrinkingfromanecessaryexplanation。"Hearingthosewords，myknowledgeofthecircumstanceshelpedme；Irealizedwhathissituationreallywas。

"Composeyourself，"Isaid，"Iunderstandyouatlast。"

Hehadsuddenlybecomedistrustful。

"Proveit，"hemuttered，withafurtivelookatme。"Iwanttobesatisfiedthatyouunderstandmyposition。"

"Thisisyourposition，"Itoldhim。"Youareplacedbetweentwodeplorablealternatives。IfyoutellthisyounggentlemanthatMissEunice’smotherwasacriminalhangedformurder，hisfamily——evenifhehimselfdoesn’trecoilfromit——willunquestionablyforbidthemarriage；andyouradopteddaughter’shappinesswillbethesacrifice。"

"True！"hesaid。"Frightfullytrue！Goon。"

"If，ontheotherhand，yousanctionthemarriage，andconcealthetruth，youcommitadeliberateactofdeceit；andyouleavethelivesoftheyoungcoupleatthemercyofapossiblediscovery，whichmightparthusbandandwife——castaslurontheirchildren——andbreakupthehousehold。"

Heshudderedwhilehelistenedtome。"Cometotheendofit，"hecried。

Ihadnomoretosay，andIwasobligedtoanswerhimtothateffect。

"Nomoretosay？"hereplied。"YouhavenottoldmeyetwhatI

mostwanttoknow。"

Ididarashthing；Iaskedwhatitwasthathemostwantedtoknow。

"Can’tyouseeitforyourself？"hedemandedindignantly。

"Supposeyouwereputbetweenthosetwoalternativeswhichyoumentionedjustnow。"

"Well？"

"Whatwouldyoudo，sir，inmyplace？Wouldyouownthedisgracefultruth——beforethemarriage——orruntherisk，andkeepthehorridstorytoyourself？"

Eitherway，myreplymightleadtoseriousconsequences。I

hesitated。

Hethreatenedmewithhispoorfeeblehand。Itwasonlytheangerofamoment；hishumorchangedtosupplication。Heremindedmepiteouslyofbygonedays："Youusedtobeakind—heartedman。Hasagehardenedyou？Haveyounopityleftforyouroldfriend？Mypoorheartissadlyinwantofawordofwisdom，spokenkindly。"

Whocouldhaveresistedthis？Itookhishand："Beatease，dearMinister。InyourplaceIshouldruntherisk，andkeepthathorridstorytomyself。"

Hesankbackgentlyinhischair。"Oh，thereliefofit！"hesaid。"HowcanIthankyouasIoughtforquietingmymind？"

Iseizedtheopportunityofquietinghismindtogoodpurposebysuggestingachangeofsubject。"Letushavedonewithserioustalkforthepresent，"Iproposed。"Ihavebeenanidlemanforthelastfiveyears，andIwanttotellyouaboutmytravels。"

Hisattentionbegantowander，heevidentlyfeltnointerestinmytravels。"Areyousure，"heaskedanxiously，"thatwehavesaidallweoughttosay？No！"hecried，answeringhisownquestion。"IbelieveIhaveforgottensomething——IamcertainI

haveforgottensomething。PerhapsImentioneditintheletterI

wrotetoyou。Haveyougotmyletter？"

Ishowedittohim。Hereadtheletter，andgaveitbacktomewithaheavysigh。"Notthere！"hesaiddespairingly。"Notthere！"

"Isthelostremembranceconnectedwithanybodyinthehouse？"I

asked，tryingtohelphim。"Doesitrelate，byanychance，tooneoftheyoungladies？"

"Youwonderfulman！Nothingescapesyou。Yes；thethingIhaveforgottenconcernsoneofthegirls。Stop！Letmegetatitbymyself。SurelyitrelatestoHelena？"Hehesitated；hisfacecloudedoverwithanexpressionofanxiousthought。"Yes；itrelatestoHelena，"herepeated"buthow？"Hiseyesfilledwithtears。"Iamashamedofmyweakness，"hesaidfaintly。"Youdon’tknowhowdreadfulitistoforgetthingsinthisway。"

Theinjurythathismindhadsustainednowassumedanaspectthatwasseriousindeed。Thesubtlemachinery，whichstimulatesthememory，bymeansoftheassociationofideas，appearedtohavelostitsworkingpowerintheintellectofthisunhappyman。I

madethefirstsuggestionthatoccurredtome，ratherthanaddtohisdistressbyremainingsilent。

"Ifwetalkofyourdaughter，"Isaid，"themerestaccident——awordspokenatrandomby。youorme——maybeallyourmemorywantstorouseit。"

Heagreedeagerlytothis："Yes！Yes！Letmebegin。Helenametyou，Ithink，atthestation。Ofcourse，Irememberthat；itonlyhappenedafewhourssince。Well？"hewenton，withachangeinhismannertoparentalpride，whichitwaspleasanttosee，"didyouthinkmydaughterafinegirl？IhopeHelenadidn’tdisappointyou？"

"Quitethecontrary。"Havingmadethatnecessaryreply，Isawmywaytokeepinghismindoccupiedbyaharmlesssubject。"Itmust，however，beowned，"Iwenton，"thatyourdaughtersurprisedme。"

"Inwhatway？"

"Whenshementionedhername。Whocouldhavesupposedthatyou——aninveterateenemytotheRomanCatholicChurch——wouldhavechristenedyourdaughterbythenameofaRomanCatholicSaint？"

Helistenedtothiswithasmile。HadIhappilyblunderedonsomeassociationwhichhismindwasstillabletopursue？

"Youhappentobewrongthistime，"hesaidpleasantly。"InevergavemygirlthenameofHelena；and，whatismore，Ineverbaptizedher。Yououghttoknowthat。Yearsandyearsago，I

wrotetotellyouthatmypoorwifehadmademeaproudandhappyfather。AndsurelyIsaidthatthechildwasbornwhileshewasonavisittoherbrother’srectory。Doyourememberthenameoftheplace？Itoldyouitwasaremotelittlevillage，called——

Supposeweput_your_memorytoatest？Canyourememberthename？"heasked，withamomentaryappearanceoftriumphshowingitself，poorfellow，inhisface。

Afterthetimethathadelapsed，thenamehadslippedmymemory。

WhenIconfessedthis，heexultedoverme，withanunalloyedpleasurewhichitwascheeringtosee。

"_Your_memoryisfailingyounow，"hesaid。"ThenameisLongLanes。Andwhatdoyouthinkmywifedid——thisissocharacteristicofher！——whenIpresentedmyselfatherbedside。

Insteadofspeakingofourownbaby，sheremindedmeofthenamethatIhadgiventoouradopteddaughterwhenIbaptizedthechild。’Youchosetheugliestnamethatagirlcanhave，’shesaid。Ibeggedhertorememberthat’Eunice’wasanameinScripture。Shepersistedinspiteofme。（Whatfirmnessofcharacter！）’IdetestthenameofEunice！’shesaid；’andnowthatIhaveagirlofmyown，it’smyturntochoosethename；I

claimitasmyright。’Shewasbeginningtogetexcited；I

allowedhertohaveherownway，ofcourse。’Onlyletmeknow，’I

said，’whatthenameistobewhenyouhavethoughtofit。’Mydearsir，shehadthenameready，withoutthinkingaboutit：’Mybabyshallbecalledbythenamethatissweetestinmyears，thenameofmydearlostmother。’Wehad——whatshallIcallit？——aslightdifferenceofopinionwhenIheardthatthenamewastobeHelena。Ireallycould_not_reconcileittomyconsciencetobaptizeachildofminebythenameofaPopishsaint。Mywife’sbrothersetthingsrightbetweenus。Aworthygoodman；hediednotverylongago——Iforgetthedate。Nottodetainyouanylonger，therectorofLongLanesbaptizedourdaughter。Thatishowshecomesbyherun—Englishname；andsoithappensthatherbirthisregisteredinavillagewhichherfatherhasneverinhabited。Ihope，sir，youthinkalittlebetterofmymemorynow？"

IwasafraidtotellhimwhatIreallydidthink。

Hewasnotfiftyyearsoldyet；andhehadjustexhibitedoneofthesadsymptomswhichmarkthebrokenmemoryofoldage。Leadhimbacktotheeventsofmanyyearsago，and（ashehadjustprovedtome）hecouldrememberwellandrelatecoherently。Butlethimattempttorecallcircumstanceswhichhadonlytakenplaceashorttimesince，andforgetfulnessandconfusionpresentedthelamentableresult，justasIhaverelatedit。

Theeffortthathehadmade，theagitationthathehadundergoneintalkingtome，hadconfirmedmyfearsthathewouldovertaskhiswastedstrength。Helaybackinhischair。"Letusgoonwithourconversation，"hemurmured。"Wehaven’trecoveredwhatIhadforgotten，yet。"Hiseyesclosed，andopenedagainlanguidly。

"TherewassomethingIwantedtorecall——"heresumed，"andyouwerehelpingme。"Hisweakvoicediedaway；hiswearyeyesclosedagain。Afterwaitinguntiltherecouldbenodoubtthathewasrestingpeacefullyinsleep，Ilefttheroom。

CHAPTERXXXIV。

THELIVELYOLDMAID。

APERFECTstrangertotheinteriorofthehouse（seeingthatmyexperiencebeganandendedwiththeMinister’sbedchamber），I

descendedthestairs，inthecharacterofaguestinsearchofdomesticinformation。

Onmywaydown，Iheardthedoorofaroomonthegroundflooropened，andawoman’svoicebelow，speakinginahurry："Mydear，Ihavenotamomenttospare；mypatientsarewaitingforme。"Thiswasfollowedbyaconfidentialcommunication，judgingbythetone。"Mind！notawordaboutmetothatoldgentleman！"

Herpatientswerewaitingforher——hadIdiscoveredafemaledoctor？Andtherewassomeoldgentlemanwhomshewasnotwillingtotrust——surelyIwasnotthatmuch—injuredman？

Reachingthehalljustastheladysaidherlastwords，Icaughtaglimpseofherface，anddiscoveredthemiddle—agedstrangerwhohadcalledon"MissJillgall，"andhadpromisedtorepeathervisit。Asecondladywasatthedoor，withherbacktome，takingleaveofherfriend。Havingsaidgood—by，sheturnedround——andweconfrontedeachother。

Ifoundhertobealittleperson，wiryandactive；pasttheprimeoflife，anduglyenoughtoencourageprejudice，inpersonswhotakeasuperficialviewoftheirfellow—creatures。Lookingimpartiallyatthelittlesunkeneyeswhichrestedonmewithacomicalexpressionofembarrassment，Isawsignsthatsaid：Thereissomegoodhere，underadisagreeablesurface，ifyoucanonlyfindit。

Shesalutedmewithacarefully—performedcurtsey，andthrewopenthedoorofaroomonthegroundfloor。

"Praywalkin，sir，andpermitmetointroducemyself。IamMr。

Gracedieu’scousin——MissJillgall。Proudindeedtomaketheacquaintanceofagentlemandistinguishedintheserviceofhiscountry——orperhapsIoughttosay，intheserviceoftheLaw。

TheGovernoroffershospitalitytoprisoners。AndwhointroducesprisonerstoboardandlodgingwiththeGovernor？——theLaw。

Beautifulweatherforthetimeofyear，isitnot？MayI

ask——haveyouseenyourroom？"

TheembarrassmentwhichIhadalreadynoticedhadextendedbythistimetohervoiceandhermanner。Shewasevidentlytryingtotalkherselfintoastateofconfidence。ItseemedbuttooprobablethatIwasindeedthepersonmentionedbyherprudentfriendatthedoor。

HavingacknowledgedthatIhadnotseenmyroomyet，mypolitenessattemptedtoaddthattherewasnohurry。Thewirylittleladywasofthecontraryopinion；shejumpedoutofherchairasifshehadbeenshotoutofit。"Prayletmemakemyselfuseful。Thedreamofmylifeistomakemyselfusefultoothers；

andtosuchamanasyou——Iconsidermyselfhonored。Besides，I

doenjoyrunningupanddownstairs。Thisway，dearsir；thiswaytoyourroom。"

Sheskippedupthestairs，andstoppedonthefirstlanding。"Doyouknow，Iamatimidperson，thoughImaynotlooklikeit。

Sometimes，curiositygetsthebetterofme——andthenIgrowbold。

Didyounoticealadywhowastakingleaveofmejustnowatthehousedoor？"

IrepliedthatIhadseentheladyforamoment，butnotforthefirsttime。"JustasIarrivedherefromthestation，"Isaid，"I

foundherpayingavisitwhenyouwerenotathome。"

"Yes——anddotellmeonethingmore。"MyreadinessinansweringseemedtohaveinspiredMissJillgallwithconfidence。Iheardnomoreconfessionsofoverpoweringcuriosity。"AmIright，"sheproceeded，"insupposingthatMissHelenaaccompaniedyou，onyourwayherefromthestation？"

"Quiteright。"

"Didshesayanythingparticular，whenshesawtheladyaskingformeatthedoor？"