nscientious woman,
with many fine qualities, and when she says as she did to us, 'It is my
duty to flee,' and again as she bade us a final adieu, 'I will die rather
than speak a word of what is on my mind,' I know that it is no small
matter which sends her wandering about like this."

"I should think not. A mother to leave her daughter to be exposed at the
morgue, and never intervene to protect her from this ignominy or to see
that she has proper burial after that dread display is over!"

"I know--it was dreadful--and we! Do you not think we felt the horror of
this also?"

"Your own flesh and blood--that is, your husband's. I wonder you could
stand it."

"We had promised. She made us promise the first day she came that we
would keep still and make no move, whatever happened."

"It was here she came then, directly from the hotel?"

"I am obliged to admit it."

"With her torn dress and her little bag?"

"Yes."

"And you procured her different clothes and the suit-case in which she
now lugs about her effects?"

"You seem to know it all."

"Mrs. Duclos, I hope you will answer my next question as honestly as you
have the previous ones. Had Madame Duclos heard of her daughter's death
when she first presented herself to you?"

"Since you ask me this, I must answer. She was in great distress, but did
not tell me why, till I asked her where Angeline was. Then she broke down
utterly and flinging herself face down on the sofa, sobbed and wailed and
finally confided to us that a terrible accident had happened to the child
and that she was lying dead in one of the city's great museums."

"Did she say what accident?"

"No; she was almost delirious with grief, and we couldn't question her.
After the papers came and we had read the dreadful news, we tried to get
from her some explanation of what it all meant, but now she wouldn't
answer; before, she couldn't."

"Did you ask her how she came to know that Angeline was dead, before the
news was circulated outside the museum?"

"Yes; but she did not answer, only looked at us. It was the most
despairing look I ever saw in my life. It made it easier for us to
promise her all she wanted, though we regretted having done this when
we came to think the matter over."

"So you positively do not know any more than this of what she has so
religiously held secret?"

"No; and I have got to the point where I do not wish to."

"Did you know she was coming to this country?"

"Y