"I had her in my arms not a moment ago!" she insisted. "See! the

print of her little head is here on my breast! You have taken her

away among you! I saw it all--those who ordered that it should be

done and those who did it, when I was too weak to hold her, or to

keep them back!"

And passing from the height of furious invective to deadly and

earnest calm, she told them off upon her fingers.

"Clara Aylett! Rosa Tazewell! Winston Aylett! (he married Clara

Louise Dorrance, you know!) Herbert Dorrance! JULIUS LENNOX!"

The household was astir by this time, and Mrs. Aylett entered from

the hall as her brother did from his bedroom. There was but one

spectator who was sufficiently composed to note and marvel at the

scared look exchanged by the two at the sound of the last name. This

was Mr. Aylett, who, from his position behind his wife, had an

excellent view of all the actors in the exciting tableau before she

fell back, swooning, in his arms.

He was alone with her in their chamber when she revived, and the

earliest effort of her restored consciousness was to seize both his

hands in hers, and scan his face searchingly--it would seem

agonizingly--until his fond smile dispelled the unspoken dread.

"Ah!" she murmured, hiding her face upon his bosom, "she is still

alive, then! I thought--I thought"--a mighty sob--"Don't despise

your weak, silly wife, darling! but it was very terrible! I believed

it was the last struggle, and was appalled at the sight. And my poor

Herbert! he was frightfully overcome. Did you notice him? Will you

send him to me, dear? I can soothe him better than any one

else--prepare him for what is, I fear, inevitable. I shall not give

way again to my terrors."

The brother and sister were still together when word was brought,

two hours later that Mabel had fallen into a profound sleep--a good

omen, the doctor said.

"Thank Heaven!" ejaculated Herbert, fervently, his eyes softening

until he turned away to conceal his emotion.

He was haggard with solicitude, while Mrs. Aylett's healthful bloom

betokened slight interest in the termination of the seizure, a

glance at which had thrown her into a faint. Nor did she echo the

thanksgiving. She waited until the messenger had gone, and continued

the conversation her entrance had interrupted.

"I incline to the belief that she caught the name, in some manner,

on Christmas before last. HE was delirious, too, and although doctor

and nurse reported that he did not speak articulately after he was

brought in, she may have heard more than they. From what has been

told me, I gather that she was in the room with him alone, while

Mrs. Sutton was down-stairs looking for Dr. Ritchie. In a lucid

interval he may have given his name--possibly some particulars of

his history. Unless--are you positive there has been no indiscretion

on your part, or that others may have talked negligently to her,

because she was a member of the family?"




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