ith
wondering eyes and parted lips, astonished by an audacity which was
absolutely sublime.

The young creature stood with bated breath till his light footsteps died
away in the nearest passage. She listened anxiously, but heard no door
close or further movement of any kind. His exit was noiseless as his
entrance had been.

When Elsie was left alone she sat down in the dim light of Elizabeth's
room, pushed the hair back from her forehead and pressed both palms on
her temples, where pain was throbbing like a pulse. She moaned and cried
out under the sudden anguish, for resistance to suffering of any kind
was killing to this young creature, and the reaction which followed that
passionate outburst of feeling left her helpless as a child.

CHAPTER XLI.

SECRECY IMPOSED ON TOM FULLER.

During fifteen or twenty minutes Elsie sat pressing both hands to her
head, while her eyes filled with tears, and her lips quivered like those
of an infant grieved by some hurt it cannot understand. A voice from the
outer passage aroused her. It was that of Tom Fuller, who had worked
himself into a state of intense excitement from fear that his rough
tenderness had mortally offended its object.

"Miss Mellen--Elsie, do come down and speak to a fellow. I'm sorry as
can be that I made such a donkey of myself and frightened you away. Just
give one peep out of the door, darling, to say that you will forgive me
by-and-bye, and I never will kiss you again so long--that is if it's
very disagreeable."

The door of Elsie's chamber opened and a face all flushed with tears,
through which a smile was breaking, looked out on the repentant Tom.

"Oh, Elsie, darling, I didn't mean it, and you've been crying all this
time. If somebody would take me out and lynch me I'd be obliged to
'em--upon my soul, I would."

"Never mind, Tom. I'm not angry--only such a fright, with crying," said
Elsie, reaching her hand through the opening, which he forthwith covered
with penitent kisses. "It's only a headache."

"A headache! dear me, what a brute I am. But wait a minute. I'll send
right to the city for a dozen bottles of bay rum, or schnapps, or
something of that sort."

"No, no," answered Elsie, laughing herself into semi-hysterics, "I shall
be better in a minute."

"And come downstairs--will you come downstairs?"

"Yes, yes; wait a minute while I get the tangle out of my hair."

Tom retreated to the staircase and waited with his eyes fastened