y turn in the lock. Then Miss Farrel entered the room--Miss Eliza
Farrel, magnificent in pale gray, with a hat trimmed with roses
crowning her blond head. Hannah cowered. She tried to speak, but only
succeeded in making a sound as if she were deaf and dumb.

Then Miss Farrel spoke. There was a weary astonishment and amusement
in her tone, but nothing whatever disturbed or harsh. "Oh, is it you,
Hannah?" she said.

Hannah murmured something unintelligible.

Miss Farrel went on, sweetly: "So you thought you would try on my
lace gown, Hannah?" she said. "It fits you very well. I see your
hands are clean. I am glad of that. Now please take it off and put on
your own dress."

Hannah stood up. She was abject.

"There is nothing for you to be afraid of," said Miss Farrel. "Only
take off the gown and put on your own, or I am afraid Miss Hart--"

Miss Hart's name acted like a terrible stimulus. Hannah unfastened
the lace gown with fingers trembling with haste. She stepped out of
the shimmering circle which it made; she was in her own costume in an
incredibly short space of time, and the lace gown was in its
accustomed place in the closet. Then suddenly Miss Hart opened the
door.

"I thought I saw a light," said she. She looked from one to the
other. "It is after eleven o'clock," she said, further.

"Yes," said Miss Farrel, sweetly. "I have been working. I had to look
over some exercises. I think I am not quite well. Have you any
digitalis in the house, Miss Hart? Hannah here does not know. I was
sorry to disturb her, and she does not know. I have an irritable
heart, and digitalis helps it."

"No, I have not got any digitalis," replied Miss Hart, shortly. She
gave the hard sound to the _g_, and she looked suspiciously at both
women. However, Miss Farrel was undoubtedly pale, and Miss Hart's
face relaxed.

"Go back to your room," she said to Hannah. "You won't be fit for a
thing to-morrow." Then she said to Miss Farrel: "I don't know what
you mean by digitalis. I haven't got any, but I'll mix you up some
hot essence of peppermint, and that's the best thing I know of for
anything."

"Thank you," said Miss Farrel. She had sank into a chair, and had her
hand over her heart.

"I'll have it here in a minute," said Miss Hart. She went out, and
Hannah followed her, but not before she and Miss Eliza Farrel had
exchanged looks which meant that each had a secret of the other to
keep as a precious stolen jewel.

Chapte