t ran thus:

"My Father,--To-day, for the first time, I have heard my mother's story
from herself. I have looked into her eyes; I know she speaks the truth.
You will not wonder then that I leave your house--that I go with her;
there must be some one to try to console her for all she has suffered,
and I am her daughter. I thank you for many years of kindness, and pray
God to bless you.

Natalie."

The next was easier to write.

"Dearest,--My mother and I leave England to-night. Do not ask why we go,
or why I have not sent for you to come and say good-bye. We shall be
away perhaps only a few days; in any case you must not go until we
return. Do not forget that I must see you again."

Natalie."

She felt happier when she had written these two notes. She rose from the
table and went over to her mother.

"Now, mother, tell me how much money you have," she said, with a highly
practical air. "What, have I startled you, poor little mother? I believe
your head is full of all kinds of strange forebodings; and yet they used
to say that the Berezolyis were all of them very courageous."

"Natalushka, you do not know what danger you are rushing into," the
mother said, absently.

"I again ask you, mother, a simple question: how much money have you?"

"I? I have thirty pounds or thereabout, Natalie; that is my capital, as
it were; but next month my cousins will send me--"

"Never mind about next month, mother dear. You must let me rob you of
all your thirty pounds; and, just to make sure, I will go and borrow ten
pounds more from Madame Potecki. Madame is not so very poor; she has
savings; she would give me every farthing if I asked her. And do you
think, little mother, if we come back successful--do you think there
will be a great difficulty about paying back the loan to Madame
Potecki?"

She was quite gay, to give her mother courage; and she refused to leave
her alone, a prey to these gloomy forebodings. She carried her off with
her in the cab to Curzon Street, and left her in the cab while she
entered the house with Anneli. Anneli cried a little when she was
receiving her mistress's last instructions.

"Am I never to see you again, Fraulein?" she sobbed. "Are you never
coming back to the house any more?"

"Of course you will see me again, you foolish girl, even if I do not
come back here. Now you will be careful, Anneli, to have the wine a
little warmed before dinner, and see that your master's slippers are in