ed articles she saw
hanging in their place.

As she arose from her chair, she discovered that her pocket was hanging
inside out, and that the pocket-book was gone!

For an instant she was fairly paralyzed. Then the white lips broke into
a scream that brought the matron, who was just passing the door, quickly
to her side.

In a hysterical voice, quite as soon as she could command herself to
articulate the words, she told the good woman what had happened.

The matron listened attentively.

"I never dreamed that you had money about you my poor child," she said,
"or I would have suggested your leaving it with me. I worried afterward
about putting you in this room with Margaret Brown; but we were full,
and there was no help for it. That is her great fault. She is not
honest. We knew that, but when she appealed to me for a night's lodging,
I could not turn her away. The front door is never locked, and those who
come here can leave when they like. We found it standing open this
morning, and we felt something was wrong."

But Bernardine did not hear the last of the sentence. With a cry she
fell to the floor at the matron's feet in a death-like swoon.

Kind hands raised her, placed her on the couch, and administered to her;
but when at length the dark eyes opened, there was no glance of
recognition in them, and the matron knew, even before she called the
doctor, that she had a case of brain fever before her.

This indeed proved to be a fact, and it was many a long week ere a
knowledge of events transpiring around her came to Bernardine.

* * * * *

During the interim, dear reader, we will follow the fortunes of Jay
Gardiner, the young husband for whom Bernardine had watched and waited
in vain.

When he was picked up unconscious after the collision, he was recognized
by some of the passengers and conveyed to his own office.

It seemed that he had sustained a serious scalp-wound and the doctors
who had been called in consultation looked anxiously into each other's
faces.

"A delicate operation will be necessary," said the most experienced
physician, "and whether it will result in life or death, I can not say."

They recommended that his relatives, if he had any, be sent for. It was
soon ascertained that his mother and sister were in Europe, traveling
about the Continent. The next person equally, if indeed not more
interested, was the young lady he was betrothed to marry--Miss
Pendle