t led up to her room.

Faint and dazed, Dorothy had not offered the least resistance to this
cruel treatment. Her brain seemed stupefied by the whirling, confusing
events taking place so rapidly around her. She only realized two things:
that she had betrayed her presence in the conservatory when she fell to
the floor upon hearing her lover speak words of affection to her rival,
and that Harry was bitterly angry with her for being there. She did not
remember that she had lost consciousness. It seemed to her that as her
senses were about leaving her strange cries recalled them.

It occurred to her that in his excitement and anger her lover had not
noticed that she had regained her sight.

Wearily Dorothy ascended the steep, narrow stairway and entered her own
room. A soft, low, dim light flooded the apartment, upon which she had
not gazed for many and many a long day.

Katy was not there, and she flung herself into the nearest arm-chair,
sobbing wretchedly, although on that night she had cause to cry out to
Heaven and rejoice for God's mercy to her for so unexpectedly restoring
her sight. But, ah, me! how strange it is that all the blessings Heaven
can shower upon us seem as dross when the one love we crave proves
fickle.

Dorothy did not have the heart to cry out joyfully and thankfully. Her
head drooped on her breast with a low, quivering sigh, and her hands
fell in her lap.

Suddenly something around the bottom of her dress caught her eye, and
she started to her feet with a low cry.

"It is blood!" she cried out in an awful voice.

No sooner had the door closed behind Dorothy ere Kendal flew back to
Iris' side.

No one had heard the terrible cries. He thanked Heaven for that. The
music had drowned them.

He had quite believed that Iris was dying. A hasty examination showed
him that it was only a slight wound on the shoulder, from which blood
was flowing profusely.

"Thank God it is no worse!" he cried, breathing freely.

He quickly set about restoring Iris, and in a moment she opened her
eyes.

"Murder! murder!" she would have cried again, but he put his hand
instantly over her red lips.

"Hush! hush! in Heaven's name!" he cried. "You will alarm the whole
household. You are not seriously hurt!"

"Some one was trying to murder me!" shrieked Iris, hysterically.

"No, no!" he returned, quickly. "Listen, Iris, for Heaven's sake! One of
the panes of glass of the conservatory directly overhead was broken