e, with bare
arms. I glanced inquiringly at Vera. "Yes," said she, nodding her head,
"zat is one of ze saddest cases here. Her lover was killed in a duel on
ze bridal-eve, and she became insane. She is quite incurable."

We went up a flight of broad stairs, and in the hall encountered an old
lady with white hair elaborately dressed. "Why! why! why!" said she,
stopping short: "who are these girls, Marie? You must be having a
party."

"Only some friends from the country, madame, come to spend an hour with
me," said Vera in French and with a low courtesy.

"Very decent-looking girls," said madame, looking at us coolly through a
gold-mounted glass. "Here, Marie! When you did my hair you made the pins
stick in me. Just see if you can't relieve me."

She sat down, and Vera--or "Marie," as this poor old mad lady called
her--gave some deft touches to the gray head. "That is better," said
madame graciously. "Now, where's your cap, child?"

"In my pocket, madame."

"Put it on, put it on: I don't want you to be aping lady-airs."

Vera pulled out a little cap and put it on her silky black locks,
smiling sweetly, and greatly impressing us by her amiability and tact.
Then the old lady went down the stairs, and the French girl said with a
shrug, "Sometimes she fancies me her maid, sometimes her daughter--la
pauvre femme!"

Up another flight, and we stopped before a closed door.

"He is here," said Vera in a low, intense voice.

Lilly put her hand on her heart as if to stop its beating. As for me, I
was only conscious of a feeling of burning curiosity.

Vera threw open the door. A young man was seated in the centre of the
room, leaning on a table. His face was buried in his hands. "He will sit
that way for hours," whispered his sister.--Then she said aloud,
"Clement!"

He looked up; an angry flush rose to his face; with one bound he was at
Vera's side, snatched the little cap from her head and tore it into
shreds.

I was fearfully alarmed at this exhibition, and Vera looked deeply
mortified. "He has never been so violent," she exclaimed; "and this was
my fault: I had forgotten that I had on ze miserable little thing."--She
fixed her eyes on him steadily and said, "Clement, I have brought some
visitors to see you."

A gleam of something like reason crossed his face: he made a graceful
bow. Lilly looked fascinated. He was a singularly handsome man, very
dark, with glittering black eyes, and hair falling on his shoulders