door. While
waiting for a response, the mockery of my return without the token I had
undertaken to restore to her, impressed itself upon me in full force. It
seemed to me that in that instant my face must have taken on a haggard
look. I could not summon up the necessary will to make it otherwise.
Any effort in that direction would have made my failure at cheerfulness
pitiable.

The door opened. There she stood. Whatever expectancy of success she may
have had fled at once. Our eyes met and her countenance changed. My face
must have told the whole story, for she exclaimed:

"You have failed!"

I was obliged to acknowledge it in a whisper, but hastened to assure her
that the ring had not yet been placed upon the bronze hand, and was not
likely to be till the lock had been cleaned, out. This interested her,
and called out a hurried but complete recital of my adventure. She hung
upon it breathlessly, and when I reached the point where Madame and her
prophetic voice entered the tale, she showed so much excitement that any
doubts I may have cherished as to the importance of the communication
Madame had made us vanished in a cold horror I with difficulty hid from
my companion. But the end agitated her more than the beginning, and when
she heard that I had taken upon myself a direct connection with this
mysterious matter, she grew so pale that I felt forced to inquire if the
folly I had committed was likely to result badly, at which she shuddered
and replied:

"You have brought death upon yourself. I see nothing but destruction
before us both. This woman--this horrible woman--has seen your face,
and, if she is what you describe, she will never forget it. The man, who
is her guardian or agent, no doubt, must have tracked you, and finding
you here with me, from whose hand he himself may have torn the ring
last night, will record it as treason against a cause which punishes all
treason with death.

"Pshaw!" I ejaculated, with a jocular effort at indifference, which I
acknowledge I did not feel. "You seem to forget the law. We live in the
city of Baltimore. Charlatans such as I have just left behind me do not
make away with good citizens with impunity. We have only to seek the
protection of the police."

She met my looks with a slowly increasing intentness, which stilled this
protest on my lips.

"I am under no oath," she ruminated. "I can tell this man what I will.
Mr. Abbott, there has been formed in this city an organiz