by this hungry affection, partly by
her own longing wish to become an actress, she escaped from home and
joined Madame Desforets in the South of France. Madame Desforets seems
at first to have been pleased to have her. The girl's adoration pleased
her vanity. Her presence with her gave her new opportunities of posing.
I believe,' and Langham gave a little dry laugh, 'they were photographed
together at Marseilles with their arms round each other's necks, and the
photograph had an immense success. However on the way to St. Petersburg,
difficulties arose. Elise was pretty, in a _blonde_ childish way,
and she caught the attention of the _jeune premier_ of the company, a
man'--the speaker became somewhat embarrassed-'whom Madame Desforets
seems to have regarded as her particular property. There were scenes at
different towns on the journey. Elise became frightened--wanted to go
home. But the elder sister, having begun tormenting her, seems to
have determined to keep her hold on her, as a cat keeps and tortures a
mouse--mainly for the sake of annoying the man of whom she was jealous.
They arrived at St. Petersburg in the depth of winter. The girl was worn
out with travelling, unhappy, and ill. One night in Madame Desforets
apartment there was a supper party, and after it a horrible quarrel. No
one exactly knows what happened. But toward twelve o'clock that night
Madame Desforets turned her young sister in evening dress, a light shawl
round her, out into the snowy streets of St Petersburg, barred the door
behind her, and revolver in hand dared the wretched man who had caused
the _fracas_ to follow her.'

Rose sat immovable. She had grown pale, but the firelight was not
revealing.

Langham turned away from her toward the blaze, holding out his hands to
it mechanically.

'The poor child,' he said, after a pause, in a lower voice, 'wandered
about for some hours. It was a frightful night--the great capital was
quite strange to her. She was insulted--fled this way and that--grew
benumbed with cold and terror, and was found unconscious in the early
morning under the archway of a house some two miles from her sister's
lodgings.'

There was a dead silence. Then Rose drew a long quivering breath.

'I do not believe it!' she said passionately. 'I cannot believe it!'

'It was amply proved at the time,' said Langham dryly, 'though of course
Madame Desforets tried to put her own color on it. But I told you I had
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