oman clad in a hastily donned wrapper and giving every evidence of
extreme fright.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, seeing only the compassionate faces of her
neighbours. "You heard it, too! a pistol-shot from there--there--my
husband's room. I have not dared to go--I--I--O, have mercy and see if
anything is wrong! It is so still--so still, and only a moment ago the
baby was crying. Mrs. Saunders, Mrs. Saunders, why is it so still?"

She had fallen into her neighbour's arms. The hand with which she had
pointed out a certain door had sunk to her side and she appeared to be
on the verge of collapse.

The officer eyed her sternly, while noting her appearance, which was
that of a woman hastily risen from bed.

"Where were you?" he asked. "Not with your husband and child, or you
would know what had happened there."

"I was sleeping down the hall," she managed to gasp out. "I'm not
well--I--Oh, why do you all stand still and do nothing? My baby's in
there. Go! go!" and, with sudden energy, she sprang upright, her eyes
wide open and burning, her small well featured face white as the linen
she sought to hide.

The officer demurred no longer. In another instant he was trying the
door at which she was again pointing.

It was locked.

Glancing back at the woman, now cowering almost to the floor, he pounded
at the door and asked the man inside to open.

No answer came back.

With a sharp turn he glanced again at the wife.

"You say that your husband is in this room?"

She nodded, gasping faintly, "And the child!"

He turned back, listened, then beckoned to Mr. Saunders. "We shall have
to break our way in," said he. "Put your shoulder well to the door.
Now!"

The hinges of the door creaked; the lock gave way (this special officer
weighed two hundred and seventy-five, as he found out, next day), and a
prolonged and sweeping crash told the rest.

Mrs. Hammond gave a low cry; and, straining forward from where she
crouched in terror on the floor, searched the faces of the two men for
some hint of what they saw in the dimly-lighted space beyond. Something
dreadful, something which made Mr. Saunders come rushing back with a
shout:

"Take her away! Take her to our apartment, Jennie. She must not see--"

Not see! He realized the futility of his words as his gaze fell on the
young woman who had risen up at his approach and now stood gazing at
him without speech, without movement, but with a glare of terror in her
eyes, which gave