ertained that the Minister's
doubts extended even to the two female warders, who had been appointed
to watch the murderess in turn, during her last days in prison. I easily
relieved his mind in this case. One of the warders was dead. The
other had married a farmer in Australia. Had we exhausted the list of
suspected persons yet? No: there was one more left; and the Minister
declared that he had first met with her in my official residence, at the
time when I was Governor of the prison.

"She presented herself to me by name," he said; "and she spoke rudely.
A Miss--" He paused to consult his memory, and this time (thanks perhaps
to his night's rest) his memory answered the appeal. "I have got it!" he
cried--"Miss Chance."

My friend had interested me in his imaginary perils at last. It was just
possible that he might have a formidable person to deal with now.

During my residence at Florence, the Chaplain and I had taken many a
retrospective look (as old men will) at past events in our lives. My
former colleague spoke of the time when he had performed clerical duty
for his friend, the rector of a parish church in London. Neither he
nor I had heard again of the "Miss Chance" of our disagreeable prison
experience, whom he had married to the dashing Dutch gentleman, Mr.
Tenbruggen. We could only wonder what had become of that mysterious
married pair.

Mr. Gracedieu being undoubtedly ignorant of the woman's marriage, it was
not easy to say what the consequence might be, in his excitable state,
if I informed him of it. He would, in all probability, conclude that I
knew more of the woman than he did. I decided on keeping my own counsel,
for the present at least.

Passing at once, therefore, to the one consideration of any importance,
I endeavored to find out whether Mr. Gracedieu and Mrs. Tenbruggen had
met, or had communicated with each other in any way, during the long
period of separation that had taken place between the Minister and
myself. If he had been so unlucky as to offend her, she was beyond all
doubt an enemy to be dreaded. Apart, however, from a misfortune of this
kind, she would rank, in my opinion, with the other harmless objects of
Mr. Gracedieu's distrust.

In making my inquiries, I found that I had an obstacle to contend with.

While he felt the renovating influence of the repose that he enjoyed,
the Minister had been able to think and to express himself with less
difficulty than usual. But the reserve