that you were the daughter of that
upright man.

"Not wishing to make myself known at that time, I still hovered around
you, thinking that, if you needed a protector, I would become visible at
the right moment."

"And," interrupted Clemence, "you were the unknown friend who sent us,
at our time of greatest need, the means that defrayed the expenses of my
mother's last illness, and interment. How much I thank you, you can
never know."

"I did not intend to speak of that," continued Mr. Vaughn. "I did
nothing of what I had planned, on account of being called suddenly away
to the death-bed of a distant relative.

"As soon as I could do so with decency, I returned, and my first visit
was to your lodgings, where I had determined to present myself in person
and make the acquaintance of Mrs. Graystone.

"What was my grief to learn that that estimable lady was no more, and
that, after a long and dangerous illness, her I sought more
particularly, as the one whose happiness was most dear to me on earth,
had gone away with a lady whose name I could not learn.

"As I was turning away in despair, a voice called to me. I turned and
beheld a woman beckoning to me from an upper window. This person I
recognized immediately as having once seen, in your company, and
joyfully retraced my steps, in the hope of hearing something that would
give me a clue to your whereabouts.

"'I'm Mrs. Bailey,' said the woman, coming down and standing in the
doorway, 'and I kalkilate you're after some news of that young girl that
used to go out governessing.'

"I replied eagerly in the affirmative.

"'Well, there ain't much to tell,' she said, slowly. 'The mother took
sick and died, and the girl herself just managed to live through a
dreadful long illness. She was hardly able to sit up when she went away.
I hear she's gone travellin' for her health. If that's so, _somebody_
must have furnished the means, and it wasn't that widow, who was the
only friend they had in the whole wide city. More like it was a certain
handsome young gentleman I could tell you about.

"'I'll tell you what it is, Mr. Vaughn,' said the woman, eyeing me
closely, 'you are wasting valuable time that might be better employed
than in following up an adventuress. Take the advice of a disinterested
friend, and let this Miss Graystone alone.'

"Of course, I then and there indignantly resented this officiousness;
but she reiterated her caution in my unwilling ears, and, finally