n off his broad hat,
crossed the street, and commenced climbing the tree. Harding followed
and stood under the tree, as if Leslie was going to throw down apples
and he must catch them. Leslie was a little awkward, but hugged the bark
handsomely, and was soon on a level with the window. Harding saw him
distinctly, by the reflected light from the window, clutch his arm
around one of the main limbs, and throw his head and body forward so
that his face was not more than a foot from the window. He had not
looked in more than a moment, when Harding heard him utter a quick,
short cry, and the next instant he seemed to be trying to regain his
hold of the tree. Then there was a rush, a tumble, and he seemed to be
falling. Harding threw himself beneath him, and Leslie half slid and
half fell to the pavement, with such violence as to send both sprawling
into the middle of the street. Harding was not much hurt; Leslie seemed
to be injured, and limped a little as he sprang up.

"Are you hurt, Tom? What made you fall?" was the double question that
Harding attempted to ask.

"My God! can that be possible?" was the inconsequent answer, and his
hand went up to his head as if the organs of thought were for the moment
disordered.

"What do you mean? What did you see, Tom?" was Harding's next double
question. Leslie was pulling on his boots.

"See? Nothing--every thing! I will tell you all about it when my brains
get settled!" was the reply. "I have simply been frightened out of my
boots--no, I left my boots down here. But I was frightened out of the
tree, and came devilish near to killing myself and _you_. Eh, didn't I?"

"Never mind about that! Tell us what you saw?" said Harding, whose bump
of curiosity now began to be seriously agitated.

"The red woman! witch! devil! What does it all mean?" was the torrent
of incoherence which next burst from Leslie, not affording Harding a
very close solution of the mystery, but promising at least something.

"Well?" said the latter, expecting more. They had again crossed the
street, and stood opposite the house of mystery. Leslie was endeavoring
to brush his soiled clothes with that most difficult of all brushes, the
hand. Harding was looking full at the window, and waiting for the
further explanation. Suddenly, a carriage whirled through Prince from
the direction of Broadway, and pulled up immediately before the house.
Leslie stopped brushing his clothes. At the same moment, a head was
agai