thought that rose in her mind:--"This that I do--this
reuniting of two souls long parted by a living death--may it not be what
Death does every day for many a world-worn survivor of a half-forgotten
parting in a remote past?" For, indeed, it seemed to her that these two
had risen from the dead, and that for all she knew each might say of
the other:--"It is not she." For what is Death but the withdrawal from
sight and touch and hearing of the evidence of Some One Else? What less
had come to pass for old Maisie and Phoebe, fifty years ago? How is it
with us all in that mysterious Beyond, that for the want of a better
name we call a Hereafter, when ghost meets ghost, and either lacks the
means of recognition?

She knew the trick of that latch now, and went in.

The room was empty of all but the cat, who seemed self-absorbed; silent
but for a singing kettle and a chirping cricket. Probably Widow Thrale
was in the bedroom. Gwen crossed the passage, and gently opening the
door, looked in. Only the old lady herself was there, upon the bed, so
still that Gwen half feared at first she had died in her sleep. No--all
was well! She wondered a moment at the silver hair, the motionless
hands, alabaster but for the blue veins, the frailty of the whole, and
its long past of eighty years, those years of strange vicissitude. And
through them all no one thing so strange as what she was to know on
waking!

CHAPTER XV

HOW GWEN HEARD WIDOW THRALE'S REPORT AND HOW SHE ROSE TO THE
OCCASION. HOW WIDOW THRALE WAS IN FAVOUR OF SILENCE. HOW GWEN HAD
TO SHOW THE FORGED LETTER. THE LINSTOCK AT THE BREECH. BUT MY NAME
WAS RUTH DAVERILL! THE GUN GOES OFF. GWEN'S COOLNESS IN ACTION. BUT
WHY IN MRS. PRICHARD'S LETTER? A CRISIS AND AN AWAKENING. WHO WILL
TELL MOTHER? HOW GWEN GOT FIRST SPEECH OF MRS. PRICHARD. THE
DELUSION CASE'S REPORT OF ITSELF. ANOTHER IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS.
THE STAGE METHOD, AS A LAST RESOURCE. AN _IMPASSE_. "BAS AN AIR
EACHIN." HOW MRS. PRICHARD WANTED TO TELL MRS. MARRABLE ABOUT HER
DEAD SISTER, STILL ALIVE. GWEN'S FORCES SCATTERED, AND A RALLY.
ANOTHER CRISIS, AND SUCCESS. WHO FORGED THAT LETTER?

That had been a quick interview with Dr. Nash in spite of its
importance. For the church clock had been striking eleven when the mare,
four minutes after leaving Dr. Nash, reached Strides Cottage. A great
deal of talk may be got through in a very little time, as the pla