quired Mr. Berners.

"Neither he nor his valet were to be found. I had the police upon his
track, you may be sure; though I did not, at the time of the lady's
awakening, know the full extent of his atrocious villainy. I knew he
had swindled me, but I did not know that he had robbed and forsaken his
lovely young wife."

"Robbed and forsaken his wife?" echoed Sybil, piteously.

"Yes, madam, incredible as it seems. But I did not know this until the
lady came to her senses. When she first awoke and found my mother seated
by her bed, she expressed much surprise, at _her_ presence and at her
own husband's absence. My mother, a plain spoken old lady, blurted out
the truth--how Mr. Horace Blondelle, after imposing a worthless check
upon me, in payment of my bill, had absconded with his valet, and been
missing ever since the night of the dinner-party, and that she, Mrs.
Blondelle, had slept profoundly through all these events.

"Oh, what a dreadful tale for the poor young wife to hear!" sighed
Sybil.

"It was worse than anything I ever saw in my life, madam--her grief and
shame and despair! She arose from her bed and began to examine her
effects, to see what she might have left, and how far they would go
towards settling my bill. She possessed some invaluable jewelry in
diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. I know she did, for I had seen her wear
them. She alluded to these, and said that they were worth many thousand
dollars, and that she would sell some of them to satisfy my claims. She
began to look for them, and then it was only by her broken exclamations
of dismay that I came to know that he had robbed her."

"The unnatural monster!" indignantly exclaimed Mr. Berners, while Sybil
gazed in almost incredulous consternation.

"Yes, sir, and madam, the truth was now apparent, even to the poor lady;
and it was this--that on the night of the dinner-party he had heavily
drugged her wine, so that when she retired to bed she fell into that
deep, death-like sleep. Then he took advantage of her state to get
possession of her keys, and to rifle her boxes and caskets, and make off
with her money and jewels."

"Poor, poor woman!" sighed Sybil.

"This, madam," continued the landlord, turning to Mrs. Burners,
"occurred four days ago. Since that time her base husband has been
traced to New York, and there lost sight of."

"And she?" inquired Sybil.

"She, madam, has given herself up to the wildest grief and despair. She
is as simple