r, had developed a passion for the stage. Her
parents were respectable--and you know young girls in France are brought
up strictly. She knew next to nothing of her sister's escapades. But she
knew that she was held to be the greatest actress in Europe--the
photographs in the shops told her that she was beautiful. She conceived
a romantic passion for the woman whom she had last seen when she was a
child of five, and actuated partly by this hungry affection, partly by
her own longing wish to become an actress, she escaped from home and
joined Madame Desforets in the South of France. Madame Desforets seems
at first to have been pleased to have her. The girl's adoration pleased
her vanity. Her presence with her gave her new opportunities of posing.
I believe,' and Langham gave a little dry laugh, 'they were photographed
together at Marseilles with their arms round each other's necks, and the
photograph had an immense success. However, on the way to St.
Petersburg, difficulties arose. Elise was pretty, in a _blonde_ childish
way, and she caught the attention of the _jeune premier_ of the company,
a man'--the speaker became somewhat embarrassed--'whom Madame Desforets
seems to have regarded as her particular property. There were scenes at
different towns on the journey. Elise became frightened--wanted to go
home. But the elder sister, having begun tormenting her, seems to have
determined to keep her hold on her, as a cat keeps and tortures a
mouse--mainly for the sake of annoying the man of whom she was jealous.
They arrived at St. Petersburg in the depth of winter. The girl was worn
out with travelling, unhappy, and ill. One night in Madame Desforets's
apartment there was a supper party, and after it a horrible quarrel. No
one exactly knows what happened. But towards twelve o'clock that night
Madame Desforets turned her young sister in evening dress, a light shawl
round her, out into the snowy streets of St. Petersburg, barred the door
behind her, and revolver in hand dared the wretched man who had caused
the _fracas_ to follow her.'

Rose sat immovable. She had grown pale, but the firelight was not
revealing.

Langham turned away from her towards the blaze, holding out his hands to
it mechanically.

'The poor child,' he said, after a pause, in a lower voice, 'wandered
about for some hours. It was a frightful night--the great capital was
quite strange to her. She was insulted--fled this way and that--grew
benumbed with co