ld reach there in a
little while, and would then proceed to a place near Washington, where the
doctor had a private insane asylum, and where I was to be shut up. They
were going to administer some drug that would make me unconscious when I
was taken off the train. If they could not get me to take it for the
headache I had talked about, Mrs. Chambray was to manage to get it into my
food or give it to me when asleep. Mrs. Chambray, it seems, had not known
the entire plot before leaving Europe, and this was their first chance of
telling her. They thought I was safely in my compartment, asleep, and she
had gone into the other car to give the signal as soon as she thought she
had me where I would not get up again for a while.

"They had arranged every detail. Richard had been using as models the
letters I had written him for the last three years, and had constructed a
set of love letters from me to him, in perfect imitation of my
handwriting. They compared the letters and read snatches of the sentences
aloud. The letters referred constantly to our being married as soon as I
should return from abroad, and some of them spoke of the money as
belonging to us both, and that now it would come to its own without any
further trouble.

"They even exhibited a marriage certificate, which, from what they said,
must have been made out with our names, and Mrs. Chambray and the doctor
signed their names as witnesses. As nearly as I could make out, they were
going to use this as evidence that Richard was my husband, and that he had
the right to administer my estate during the time that I was incapable.
They had even arranged that a young woman who was hopelessly insane should
take my place when the executors of the estate came to see me, if they
took the trouble to do that. As it was some years since either of them had
seen me, they could easily have been deceived. And for their help Mrs.
Chambray and the doctor were to receive a handsome sum.

"I could scarcely believe my ears at first. It seemed to me that I must be
mistaken, that they could not be talking about me. But my name was
mentioned again and again, and as each link in the horrible plot was made
plain to me, my terror grew so great that I was on the verge of rushing
into the car and calling for the conductor and porter to help me. But
something held me still, and I heard Richard say that he had just informed
the trainmen that I was insane, and that they need not be surprised if