ong desire, to tell all
she knew. "I have had enough secrecy for my whole life," she said.
And indeed I do believe she was so thoroughly frightened, that if a
police-officer had come into the house and asked her to reveal secrets
compromising the good name of her own son, she would have done so
without cavil or question. "I feel as if I wanted to take my stand out
on the common, and, in the face of the whole world, declare what I have
done for Mary Leavenworth. But first," she whispered, "tell me, for
God's sake, how those girls are situated. I have not dared to ask or
write. The papers say a good deal about Eleanore, but nothing about
Mary; and yet Mary writes of her own peril only, and of the danger she
would be in if certain facts were known. What is the truth? I don't want
to injure them, only to take care of myself."

"Mrs. Belden," I said, "Eleanore Leavenworth has got into her
present difficulty by not telling all that was required of her. Mary
Leavenworth--but I cannot speak of her till I know what you have to
divulge. Her position, as well as that of her cousin, is too anomalous
for either you or me to discuss. What we want to learn from you is, how
you became connected with this affair, and what it was that Hannah knew
which caused her to leave New York and take refuge here."

But Mrs. Belden, clasping and unclasping her hands, met my gaze with one
full of the most apprehensive doubt. "You will never believe me," she
cried; "but I don't know what Hannah knew. I am in utter ignorance of
what she saw or heard on that fatal night; she never told, and I never
asked. She merely said that Miss Leavenworth wished me to secrete her
for a short time; and I, because I loved Mary Leavenworth and admired
her beyond any one I ever saw, weakly consented, and----"

"Do you mean to say," I interrupted, "that after you knew of the murder,
you, at the mere expression of Miss Leavenworth's wishes, continued to
keep this girl concealed without asking her any questions or demanding
any explanations?"

"Yes, sir; you will never believe me, but it is so. I thought that,
since Mary had sent her here, she must have her reasons; and--and--I
cannot explain it now; it all looks so differently; but I did do as I
have said."

"But that was very strange conduct. You must have had strong reason for
obeying Mary Leavenworth so blindly."

"Oh, sir," she gasped, "I thought I understood it all; that Mary, the
bright young creature, who ha