The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-06-11

The uOmdn had caught her bv The urist
expression and the silly leer, that Miss
MaNey was almost ready to declare the
relationship between them that of moth
er and daughter.
Even these reflections passed like
flash through Miss Maxey's intuitive
mind while she stood bewilderingly re-
turning the fierce look of the woman
who held her by the wrist The silence
only exasperated the questioner. Her
nervous hold on the arm tightened, and
she said in lower but still more in
tense voice;
''Do you hear me? Who are you?
What do you WANT"
Do not blame me, =" said Miss Maxey
at last in q voice the clearncss and steadi-
ness Of which surprised herself 1T is
not my fault that am in this room.
asked only to sec you. The servant
brought me. might almost say dragged
me, here. "
1.-THE idiot! The idiot!" cried the wo-
man, with more anger, but not less sus-
picion. This blnnder will cost her her
place. Whom did you wish to see?"
''You, madam. +"
hlei lou nave CHOSEN an Odu h0ur
for your callP' The woman breathed
painfully in her agitation, dropped Miss
Maxey's arm and tore open the door in
fever of haste
"Therei" she cried. "This is not nv
reception rooml Here, little fool show
this lady down stairs
The frightened servant, who appeared.
obeyed her. Ellen followed her to the
foor below. As she descended the stairs
She passed an elderly female, with an
energetic stride, coming up Ellen was
very sure the newcomer went into the
chamber from which she had just come,
and she thought:
THAT is the person, whoever she may
be, for whom was mistaken. -
Miss Maxey was conducted to dainty
reception room OH tho first floor The
gas was lighted, and she was left alone
with her reflections. She sank into a
chair. A long time, very long time
elapsed. She heard many footsteps go
along the hall outside her door before
any one sought again TO turn the handle.
She listened with all her power She
even held her breath. The sight she had
seen in the chamber had made so power
1ul an impression upon her that it al
most seemed to be before her still She
did not understand it, but the very mys-
terry made the possibilities so much the
more dreadful. What was the nature of
the strange horror she had surprised?
Who was the fashionable woman who
had such curious acquantanees in the
outer world, who sheltered such name
less enornitics under her roof?
Miss Maxey was II young woman who
had been protected from the rough
breath of the great world from her in.
fancy, to whom evil in all its greater
and more repulsive forms had always
seemed unreal and dreamlille, but yet
as she sat there i'll that silent room her
active mind, busy with the logic of the
events of the past few hours, saw before
it such possibilities of the depth of hu-
man deprayity as made her tremble for
the powers of her own Imagination.
What did itmcan2 What could it mean?
The pretty girl who but few hours be.
fore had been riding for pleasure in her
carriage through tho city streets now
PROSTATE and insane? The ether, the red.
hot curling iron the smell of burning
flesh? Miss Maxey's mind reeled under
the fancies of What it might mean and
yet in the midst of it all She was aware
of latent impression that nothing in
all these wild speculations was plausible
enough to be the truth
What hazardous, foolish thing this
following of Mr.. Dye had pfoyed Was
it not an unladylike action, and might
she M 1.-Two J,,sr In,