But what does all this mean? Where are we? What strange place is this?"
she cried, throwing back her long dark hair, and shading her eyes with
her hands, as she gazed around.

"Dearest wife, take time to compose yourself, and you will remember all.
A sudden and terrible catastrophe has driven us from our home. You have
had a heavy sleep since that, and you find it difficult to awake to the
truth," said Lyon Berners tenderly, as he sat down by her side, and
sought to soothe her.

"Oh! I know now! I remember all now! my fatal fancy ball! Rosa
Blondelle's mysterious murder! Our sudden flight! All! O! Heavens, all!"
cried Sybil, dropping her face upon her hands.

Lyon Berners put his arm around her, and drew her to his bosom. But he
did not speak; he thought it better to leave her to collect herself in
silence.

After a few moments, she looked up again, and looked all around the
church, and then gazed into her husband's eyes, and inquired:

"But Lyon, who was _she_? and where has she gone?"

"Who was who, dear Sybil? I don't understand," answered Mr. Berners, in
surprise.

"That gipsy-like girl in the red cloak; who was bending over me, and
staring into my face, just as you came in?"

"There was no such girl near you, or even in the church, my dear," said
Mr. Berners.

"But indeed there was; she started away just as I woke up."

"My dearest Sybil, you have been dreaming."

"Indeed no; I saw her as plainly as I see you now: a girl in a red
cloak, with such an elfin face I shall never forget it; such small
piercing black eyes; such black eyebrows, depressed towards the nose,
and raised high towards the temples, giving such an eldritch,
mischievous, even dangerous expression to the whole dark countenance;
and such wild black hair streaming around her shoulders."

"A very vivid dream you have had, dear wife, and that is all."

"I tell you no! she was bending over me; looking at me; and she fled
away just as I woke up."

"My darling, I will convince you out of your own mouth. She ran away,
you say, just as you woke up; therefore you did not see her after you
were awake, but only while you slept, in your dreams. Besides, dear, I
was here when you woke up, and I saw no one near you, or even in the
building," persisted Lyon Berners--though at that moment he did recall
to mind _the shadow_ that he had seen slip past all the sunshine on the
floor, and disappear as if it had sunk under the slabs on the right side
of