Year: 1870

She slept so long, andin the waning
light looked so pale that he feared she
was again about to fall into the strange,
deathly trance from which he had with
so much difficulty recovered her. In
his terror of that he cried out for her
to awake. and the sound of his cry
awoke her with start.


He had prepared speech that was
to calm and reassure her when she
awoke bewilderel to find herself so
strangely clothed and lodged; but she
no more needed calming and reassur-
ing than an infant too young to know
its mother from any other woman. She
looked round with n wondering gaze
that was almost infantile, and her eye
resting upon Ashley she sat up in the
bed and asked him in his own language
for food. 1t was evident that she had
no recollection of illness and neither
anxiety nor curiosity Us to her present
position.


She ate the food which was brought
to her with appetite, and would have
risen from the bed, apparently uncon-
scious that she wore no garment but a
shroud, had not Ashley persuaded her
/ to lie down and sleep again.


He left her sleeping, md went in to
another room profoundly puzzled.
Here was this beautiful woman, igno-
rant. and almost as helpless us child
thrown upon him for protection, rs it
was clear that she did not remember
anything which would lead to the dis
coYery Of her friends. 1t was possible
that her senses had left her altogether,
never to return: the lovely creature
might be harmless idiot all the rest
of her days. Her speaking English
was another puzzle. She might be
an English woman-her beauty was
certainly Of the Saxon type-or she
might only have learned the English
language; but If so how came that
knowledge to have been retained when
all else seemed gone.


His perplexity was interrupted by
the entrance of the cause of II. She
stood at the door wrapped round in
one of the bed coverings, looking Mt
him with sweet, childish. vacant ex-
preston that was touching in It's help
lessness. Il must call her something,
he thought, as she stood apparently
waiting for him to speak; "her name
shall he Mary"


Are you better, Mary and viii you
sit IN this chair?"


She paid no attention To the inquiry
but took tho offered seat, and began
silently rocking herself to and fro. /;
had such ghostly effect to SEQ her
there by the lamplight. robed in the
long white drapery, with her beautiful
face still pale. no longer dcathly. rock
ing herself in $ lence. that Ashley fell
n sensation very like fear thrilled


through him. He mustdo something,
for he could not bear this. He took
up a book, the first that came to hand
lit was IN English one-and offered


it to her, asking if she would like tc
read.


/ She took il with childish smile, and
laying it open upon her knees, began


to futter the leaves backward and for.


ward, playing idly with them.


Good heavens p said Ashley to him.


self, "she is mad, imbecile at any rate
: / must do something with her"
But it was impossible to think Will


her before him, and taking her By the
: hand, he said:


"Now, Mary, you must 60 back Il
bed, and Tomorrow"


She did not wait for the end of tht
sentence, but rose at once to do as sh'
was hidden, threw down the book, ant
letting fall the coverlet that had envel
J oped her, walked quietly back to tn,
, inner room.


} Ashley fastened the door, and felt a
: if he were going mad from sheer be
: wilderment. She must have clothe
the very first thing, and how were the
: to be procured W thout taking some
: one into his confidence? Even if h
| knew where to go for them, he kne'
: nothing of what woman's clothe
should be. It w.s evident, then, tina


some one must be told of the extraor
s dinary adventure, and it was eyiden
g that it must be woman In whom h
e confded, as he required practical hel
a of kind no man could give him.
The morning dawned before h
!, could arrange any settled plan, and f
Y nally he decided that he could not
s he would rid himself of the charge c
f her, therefore she should remain i
: his house, and he would tell all to til
i one acting as his housekeeper, VIII
II Glanced to be. absent at the time, bit
l. whose return he was expecting ths
o very day He would bind her to 81
n crecy by the most solemn oath he coul


devise, and if she failed to keep i
it why-at any rate he was in q terrib
Ie scrape, and this seemed the best thin
e to be done. The woman returne
d early in the day, and Ashley at on,
n told all, and implored her assistanc
D. TO his great relief she agreed at ono


to do all that lay in her power for IL
at unhappy young girl, and, a few q
se rangements made, Ashley left Il
e, house for the day, determined to shal
r, off the unpleasant impression whio
ye the whole thing had made upon hir
IL Returning at night, he found Ma
Or comfortably clothed and looking le
ie pale and i'll. HIS housekeeper told hi
n that she had been dressed like chill
a having apparently no idea of assistil
or herself at all.


sy It would be impossible to descril
ID minutely how intelligence dawned al
e. grew swiftly in the poor girls min
as It was not gradual growth from
IS, fancy, but came in fitful snatches. L
h. greatest change came first, when b
as face frightened from, blank vacan