remarked presently. "It is a mystery."

"Yes, Mrs. Tennison, it is all a mystery--a complete mystery to me why
Doctor Moroni, of all men, should take an interest in your daughter.
He is certainly not a man to be trusted, and I, in turn, warn you
against him."

"Why? He has been so good to Gabrielle."

"The reason of my warning is that he is her enemy as well as mine," I
said, glancing at the beautiful girl, whose countenance had, alas! now
grown inanimate again.

"But I do not understand," Mrs. Tennison exclaimed. "Why should the
doctor be Gabrielle's enemy?"

"Ah! That I cannot tell--except that he fears lest she should recover
and reveal the truth--a serious truth which would implicate him."

"Do you think he had any hand in the mysterious affair?"

"I certainly do," was my reply, and then I told her of my journey to
Italy, and of my discovery of her daughter with Moroni in Florence.

"But how did you know my daughter?" she asked.

"Because on that fatal night I saw her in a house in London."

"You saw her! Where?"

"In the house of a mutual enemy."

"Who?"

"Mrs. Tennison," I exclaimed quietly. "At present I cannot reveal to
you more than I have done. Please excuse me. When I have fully
verified my suspicions I will explain all that occurred to me--all
that is within my knowledge. Until then, please remain in patience."

"I never dreamed that Gabrielle had a single enemy in the world. I
cannot understand it," she exclaimed.

"Neither can I, but the fact remains. The greatest care should be
exercised regarding your daughter. Why did she meet that Frenchman in
Kensington Gardens?"

"I have only just heard about it," was her mother's reply. "It appears
that Doctor Moroni introduced them. She had only seen him once
before."

Then, turning to the girl, her mother asked:

"What did he say to you?"

"He brought me an urgent and secret message from Doctor Moroni,
telling me that there was a plot against my life," she replied in a
slow, mechanical voice. "The doctor sent word to me that Mr. Garfield
would probably call and endeavour to be friendly with me, but that he
was my enemy, and I should have no dealings with him."

"Ah!" I exclaimed. "So that was the second warning given you, Miss
Tennison! It is more than ever plain that they fear lest, by meeting,
we shall discover the plot and its instigators. What else did he say?"

"He told me that Doctor Moroni was still in Florence, but that he
wou