woman in deep mourning. Her
head was bowed in an attitude of great devotion, but a few moments
later, when she raised her face, I stood rooted to the spot.

The countenance was that of the dead girl Gabrielle Engledue!

An involuntary exclamation left my lips, and a woman standing near me
heard me, and wondered.

Kneeling beside the girl in black was a thin-faced, black-haired
Italian of about forty-five. He was somewhat handsome, though a
sinister expression played about his lips.

I watched the pair for several minutes, wondering whether in my brain,
unbalanced as it had been, the scene was a mere chimera on my part and
that, after all, the girl only slightly resembled the victim at
Stretton Street.

The latter I had not seen in life, and death always alters the
features. Nevertheless, the sudden encounter was most startling, and
from where I stood behind a great marble column I watched them.

At last both rose and crossing themselves piously, walked slowly to
the door. I followed them. It surely could not be that the girl whose
death certificate I had forged, and whose body had been reduced to
ashes, was actually alive and well! I recollected that sum of five
thousand pounds, and the strange adventures which had befallen me
after I had accepted the bribe to pose as a doctor, and certify that
death had been due to natural causes.

Outside in the bright sunlight of the Piazza, I obtained a full view
of her. Her rather shabby black was evidently of good material, but
her face struck me as distinctly strange. The expression in her dark
luminous eyes was fixed, as though she were fascinated and utterly
unconscious of all about her. She walked mechanically, without
interest, and utterly heedless of where she went. Her companion's hand
was upon her arm as she crossed to the Via Calzajoli, and I wondered
if she were blind.

I had never before seen such a blank, hopeless expression in a woman's
eyes.

The man, on the contrary, was shrewd and alert. His close-set eyes
shot shrewd glances from beneath black bushy eyebrows with a keen,
penetrating gaze, as though nothing escaped him. He seemed to be
trying to hurry her, in fear of being recognized. He had not noticed
me, hence in the bustle of the busy street I managed to get up close
behind them, when of a sudden, I heard her exclaim:

"Not so fast! Really I can't walk so fast!"

She spoke in English!

Her companion, uncouth and heedless, still had his hand upon