andIknowhiminhistruecharacteratlast。AmIawomanwhosubmitswhenanoutrageisofferedtoher?Whatwillhappennext?
  Whoknows?Iaminafinehumor。WhatIhavejustwrittenhassetmelaughingatmyself。HelenaGracedieuhasonemeritatleast——sheisaveryamusingperson。
  Isleptlastnight。
  Thismorning,Iamstrongagain,calm,wickedlycapableofdeceivingMr。PhilipDunboyne,ashehasdeceivedme。HehasnotthefaintestsuspicionthatIhavediscoveredhim。Iwishhehadcourageenoughtokillsomebody。HowIshouldenjoyhiringthenearestwindowtothescaffold,andseeinghimhanged!
  MissJillgallisinbetterspiritsthanever。Sheisgoingtotakealittleholiday;andthecunningcreaturemakesamysteryofit。"Good—by,MissHelena。Iamgoingtostayforadayortwowithafriend。"Whatfriend?Whocares?
  Lastnight,Iwaswakeful。Inthedarknessadaringideacametome。To—day,Ihavecarriedouttheidea。SomethinghasfollowedwhichiswellworthenteringinmyDiary。
  Ilefttheroomattheusualhourforattendingtomydomesticaffairs。Theobstinatecookdidmeaservice;shewasinsolent;
  shewantedtohaveherownway。Igaveherherownway。InlessthanfiveminutesIwasonthewatchinthepantry,whichhasaviewofthehousedoor。Myhatandmyparasolwerewaitingformeonthetable,incaseofmygoingout,too。
  Inafewminutesmore,Iheardthedooropened。Mr。PhilipDunboynesteppedout。Hewasgoingtotakeanotherofhislongwalks。
  Ifollowedhimtothestreetinwhichthecabsstand。Hehiredthefirstoneontherank,anopenchaise;whileIkeptmyselfhiddenina。shopdoor。
  Themomenthestartedonhisdrive,Ihiredaclosedcab。"Doubleyourfare,"Isaidtothedriver,"whateveritmaybe,ifyoufollowthatchaisecleverly,anddowhatItellyou。"
  Henoddedandwinkedatme。Awicked—lookingoldfellow;justthemanIwanted。
  Wefollowedthechaise。
  CHAPTERLVI。
  HELENA’SDIARYRESUMED。
  WHENwehadleftthetownbehindus,thecoachmanbegantodrivemoreslowly。Inmyignorance,Iaskedwhatthischangeinthepacemeant。Hepointedwithhiswhiptotheopenroadandtothechaiseinthedistance。
  "Ifwekeeptoonearthegentleman,miss,hehasonlygottolookback,andhe’llseewearefollowinghim。Thesafethingtodoistoletthechaisegetonabit。Wecan’tlosesightofit,outhere。"
  Ihadfeltinclinedtotrustinthedriver’sexperience,andhehadalreadyjustifiedmyconfidenceinhim。Thisencouragedmetoconsulthisopiniononamatterofsomeimportancetomypresentinterests。Icouldseethenecessityofavoidingdiscoverywhenwehadfollowedthechaisetoitsdestination;butIwastotallyatalosstoknowhowitcouldbedone。MywilyoldmanwasreadywithhisadvicethemomentIaskedforit。
  "Whereverthechaisestops,miss,wemustdrivepastitasifweweregoingsomewhereelse。Ishallnoticetheplacewhilewegoby;andyouwillpleasesitbackinthecornerofthecabsothatthegentlemancan’tseeyou。"
  "Well,"Isaid,"andwhatnext?"
  "Next,miss,Ishallpullup,whereveritmaybe,outofsightofthedriverofthechaise。Hebearsanexcellentcharacter,I
  don’tdenyit;butI’veknownhimforyears——andwehadbetternottrusthim。Ishalltellyouwherethegentlemanstopped;andyouwillgobacktotheplace(onfoot,ofcourse),andseeforyourselfwhat’stobedone,speciallyiftherehappenstobealadyinthecase。Nooffense,miss;it’sinmyexperiencethatthere’sgenerallyaladyinthecase。Anyhow,youcanjudgeforyourself,andyou’llknowwheretofindmewaitingwhenyouwantmeagain。"
  "Supposesomethinghappens,"Isuggested,"thatwedon’texpect?"
  "Ishan’tlosemyhead,miss,whateverhappens。"
  "Allverywell,coachman;butIhaveonlyyourwordforit。"Intheirritablestateofmymind,theman’sconfidentwayofthinkingannoyedme。
  "Beggingyourpardon,myyounglady,you’vegot(ifImaysayso)
  whattheycallaguarantee。WhenIwasayoungman,IdroveacabinLondonfortenyears。Willthatdo?"
  "Isupposeyoumean,"Ianswered,"thatyouhavelearneddeceitinthewickedwaysofthegreatcity。"
  Hetookthisasacompliment。"Thankyou,miss。That’sitexactly。"
  Afteralongdrive,orsoitseemedtomyimpatience,wepassedthechaisedrawnupatalonelyhouse,separatedbyafrontgardenfromtheroad。Intwoorthreeminutesmore,westoppedwheretheroadtookaturn,anddescendedtolowerground。Thefarmhousewhichwehadleftbehinduswasknowntothedriver。Heledthewaytoagateatthesideoftheroad,andopeneditforme。
  "Inyourplace,miss,"hesaidslyly,"theprivatewaybackisthewayIshouldwishtotake。Tryitbythefields。Turntotherightwhenyouhavepassedthebarn,andyou’llfindyourselfatthebackofthehouse。"Hestopped,andlookedathisbigsilverwatch。"Half—pasttwelve,"hesaid,"theChawbacons——Imeanthefarmhouseservants,miss——willbeattheirdinner。Allinyourfavor,sofar。Ifthedoghappenstobeloose,don’tforgetthathisname’sGrinder;callhimbyhisname,andpathimbeforehehastimeenoughtothink,andhe’llletyoube。Whenyouwantme,hereyou’llfindmewaitingfororders。"
  IlookedbackasIcrossedthefield。Thedriverwassittingonthegate,smokinghispipe,andthehorsewasnibblingthegrassattheroadside。Twohappyanimals,withoutaburdenontheirminds!
  Afterpassingthebarn,Isawnothingofthedog。Farornear,nolivingcreatureappeared;theservantsmusthavebeenatdinner,asthecoachmanhadforeseen。Arrivingatawoodenfence,I
  openedagateinit,andfoundmyselfonabitofwasteground。
  Onmyleft,therewasalargeduck—pond。Onmyright,Isawthefowl—houseandthepigstyes。Beforemewasahighimpenetrablehedge;andatsomedistancebehindit——anorchardoragarden,asIsupposed,fillingtheintermediatespace——rosethebackofthehouse。Imadefortheshelterofthehedge,inthefearthatsomeonemightapproachawindowandseeme。Onceshelteredfromobservation,ImightconsiderwhatIshoulddonext。ItwasimpossibletodoubtthatthiswasthehouseinwhichEunicewasliving。NeithercouldIfailtoconcludethatPhiliphadtriedtopersuadehertoseehim,onthoseformeroccasionswhenhetoldmehehadtakenalongwalk。
  AsIcrouchedbehindthehedge,Iheardvoicesapproachingontheothersideofit。Atlastfortunehadbefriendedme。ThepersonspeakingatthemomentwasMissJillgall;andthepersonwhoansweredherwasPhilip。
  "Iamafraid,dearMr。Philip,youdon’tquiteunderstandmysweetEuneece。Honorable,highminded,delicateinherfeelings,and,oh,sounselfish!Idon’twanttoalarmyou,butwhenshehearsyouhavebeendeceivingHelena——"
  "Uponmyword,MissJillgall,youaresoprovoking!IhavenotbeendeceivingHelena。Haven’tItoldyouwhatdiscouraginganswersIgot,whenIwenttoseetheGovernor?Haven’tIshownyouEunice’sreplytomyletter?Youcan’thaveforgottenitalready?"
  "Oh,yes,Ihave。WhyshouldIrememberit?Don’tIknowpoorEuneecewasinyourmind,allthetime?"
  "You’rewrongagain!Eunicewasnotinmymindallthetime。I
  washurt——Iwasoffendedbythecruelmannerinwhichshehadtreatedme。Andwhatwastheconsequence?SofarwasIfromdeceivingHelena——sheroseinmyestimationbycomparisonwithhersister。"
  "Oh,come,come,Mr。Philip!thatwon’tdo。Helenarisinginanybody’sestimation?Ha!ha!ha!"
  "Laughasmuchasyoulike,MissJillgall,youwon’tlaughawaythefacts。Helenalovedme;Helenawastruetome。Don’tbehardonapoorfellowwhoishalfdistracted。Whatamanfindshecandoononeday,hefindshecan’tdoonanother。Trytounderstandthatachangedoessometimescomeoverone’sfeelings。"
  "Blessmysoul,Mr。Philip,that’sjustwhatIhavebeenunderstandingallthetime!Iknowyourmindaswellasyouknowityourself。Youcan’tforgetmysweetEuneece。"
  "ItellyouItriedtoforgether!Onmywordofhonorasagentleman,Itriedtoforgether,injusticetoHelena。IsitmyfaultthatIfailed?Eunicewasinmymind,asyousaidjustnow。
  Oh,myfriend——foryouaremyfriend,Iamsure——persuadehertoseeme,ifit’sonlyforaminute!"
  (Wasthereeveraman’smindinsuchastateofconfusionasthis!First,Iriseinhispreciousestimation,andEunicedrops。
  ThenEunicerises,andIdrop。Idiot!Mischievousidiot!EvenSelinaseemedtobedisgustedwithhim,whenshespokenext。)
  "Mr。Philip,youarehardandunreasonable。Ihavetriedtopersuadeher,andIhavemademydarlingcry。Nothingyoucansaywillinducemetodistressheragain。Goback,youveryundeterminedman——gobacktoyourHelena。"
  "Toolate。"
  "Nonsense!"
  "Isaytoolate。IfIcouldhavemarriedHelenawhenIfirstwenttostayinthehouse,Imighthavefacedthesacrifice。Asitis,I
  can’tendureher;and(Itellyouthisinconfidence)shehasherselftothankforwhathashappened。"
  "Isthatreallytrue?"
  "Quitetrue。"
  "Tellmewhatshedid。
  "Oh,don’ttalkofher!PersuadeEunicetoseeme。Ishallcomebackagain,andagain,andagaintillyoubringhertome。"
  "Pleasedon’ttalknonsense。Ifshechangeshermind,Iwillbringherwithpleasure。Ifshestillshrinksfromit,IregardEuneece’sfeelingsassacred。Takemyadvice;don’tpressher。
  Leavehertimetothinkofyou,andtopityyou——andthattrueheartmaybeyoursagain,ifyouareworthyofit。"
  "Worthyofit?Whatdoyoumean?"
  "Areyouquitesure,myyoungfriend,thatyouwon’tgobacktoHelena?"
  "Gobackto_her?_IwouldcutmythroatifIthoughtmyselfcapableofdoingit!"
  "Howdidshesetyouagainsther?Didthewretchquarrelwithyou?"
  "Itmighthavebeenbetterforbothofusifshehaddonethat。
  Oh,herfulsomeendearments!WhatacontrasttothecharmingmodestyofEunice!IfIwasrich,IwouldmakeitworththewhileofthefirstpoorfellowIcouldfindtoridmeofHelenabymarryingher。Idon’tlikesayingsuchathingofawoman,butifyouwillhavethetruth——"
  "Well,Mr。Philip——andwhatisthetruth?"
  "Helenadisgustsme。"
  CHAPTERLVII。
  HELENA’SDIARYRESUMED。
  Soitwasallsettledbetweenthem。Philipistothrowmeaway,likeoneofhisbadcigars,forthisunanswerablereason:"Helenadisgustsme。"AndheistopersuadeEunicetotakemyplace,andbehiswife。Yes!ifIlethimdoit。
  Iheardnomoreoftheirtalk。Withthatlast,worstoutrageburninginmymemory,Ilefttheplace。
  Onmywaybacktothecarriage,thedogmetme。Truly,agrandcreature。Icalledhimbyhisname,andpattedhim。Helickedmyhand。Somethingmademespeaktohim。Isaid:"IfIwastotellyoutotearMr。PhilipDunboynetopieces,wouldyoudoit?"Thegreatgood—naturedbruteheldouthispawtoshakehands。Well!
  well!Iwasnotanobjectofdisgusttothedog。
  Butthecoachmanwasstartled,whenhesawmeagain。Hesaidsomething,Ididnotknowwhatitwas;andheproducedapocket—flask,containingsomespirits,Isuppose。PerhapshethoughtIwasgoingtofaint。Helittleknewme。ItoldhimtodrivebacktotheplaceatwhichIhadhiredthecab,andearnhismoney。Heearnedit。
  Ongettinghome,IfoundMrs。Tenbruggenwalkingupanddownthedining—room,deepinthought。Shewasstartledwhenwefirstconfrontedeachother。"Youlookdreadfullyill,"shesaid。
  IansweredthatIhadbeenoutforalittleexercise,andhadover—fatiguedmyself;andthenchangedthesubject。"Doesmyfatherseemtoimproveunderyourtreatment?"Iasked。
  "Veryfarfromit,mydear。IpromisedthatIwouldtrywhatMassagewoulddoforhim,andIfindmyselfcompelledtogiveitup。"
  "Why?"
  "Itexciteshimdreadfully。"
  "Inwhatway?"
  "Hehasbeentalkingwildlyofeventsinhispastlife。Hisbrainisinsomeconditionwhichisbeyondmypowersofinvestigation。
  Hepointedtoacabinetinhisroom,andsaidhispastlifewaslockedupthere。IaskedifIshouldunlockit。Heshookwithfear;hesaidIshouldletouttheghostofhisdeadbrother—in—law。Haveyouanyideaofwhathemeant?"
  Thecabinetwasfullofoldletters。Icouldtellherthat——andcouldtellhernomore。Ihadneverheardofhisbrother—in—law。
  Anotherofhisdelusions,nodoubt。"Didyoueverhearhimspeak,"Mrs。Tenbruggenwenton,"ofaplacecalledLowLanes?"
  Shewaitedformyreplytothislastinquirywithanappearanceofanxietythatsurprisedme。IhadneverheardhimspeakofLowLanes。
  "Haveyouanyparticularinterestintheplace?"Iasked。
  "Nonewhatever。"
  Shewentawaytoattendonapatient。Iretiredtomybedroom,andopenedmyDiary。Againandagain,Ireadthatremarkablestoryoftheintendedpoisoning,andofthemannerinwhichithadended。IsatthinkingoverthisromanceinreallifetillI
  wasinterruptedbytheannouncementofdinner。
  Mr。PhilipDunboynehadreturned。InMissJillgall’sabsencewewerealoneatthetable。Myappetitewasgone。Imadeapretenseofeating,andanotherpretenseofbeinggladtoseemydevotedlover。Italkedtohimintheprettiestmanner。Asahypocrite,hethoroughlymatchedme;hewasgallant,hewasamusing。Ifbasenesslikeourshadbeenpunishablebythelaw,aprisonwastherightplaceforbothofus。
  Mrs。Tenbruggencameinagainafterdinner,stillnotquiteeasyaboutmyhealth。"Howflushedyouare!"shesaid。"Letmefeelyourpulse。"Ilaughed,andleftherwithMr。PhilipDunboyne。
  Passingmyfather’sdoor,Ilookedin,anxioustoseeifhewasintheexcitablestatewhichMrs。Tenbruggenhaddescribed。Yes;
  theeffectwhichshehadproducedonhim——how,sheknowsbest——hadnotpassedawayyet:hewasstilltalking。Theattendanttoldmeithadgoneonforhourstogether。Onmyapproachinghischair,hecalledout:"Whichareyou?EuniceorHelena?"WhenIhadansweredhim,hebeckonedmetocomenearer。
  "Iamgettingstrongereveryminute,"hesaid。"Wewillgotravelingto—morrow,andseetheplacewhereyouwereborn。"
  WherehadIbeenborn?Hehadnevertoldmewhere。HadhementionedtheplaceinMrs。Tenbruggen’shearing?Iaskedtheattendantifhehadbeenpresentwhileshewasintheroom。Yes;
  hehadremainedathispost;hehadalsoheardtheallusiontotheplacewiththeoddname。HadMr。Gracedieusaidanythingmoreaboutthatplace?Nothingmore;thepoorMinister’smindhadwanderedofftootherthings。Hewaswanderingnow。Sometimes,hewasaddressinghiscongregation;sometimes,hewonderedwhattheywouldgivehimforsupper;sometimes,hetalkedoftheflowersinthegarden。Andthenhelookedatme,andfrowned,andsaidI
  preventedhimfromthinking。
  Iwentbacktomybedroom,andopenedmyDiary,andreadthestoryagain。
  Wasthepoisonofwhichthatresoluteyoungwifeproposedtomakeusesomethingthatactedslowly,andtoldthedoctorsnothingiftheylookedforitafterdeath?
  Woulditberunningtoogreatarisktoshowthestorytothedoctor,andtrytogetalittlevaluableinformationinthatway?
  Itwouldbeuseless。Hewouldmakesomefeeblejoke;hewouldsay,girlsandpoisonsarenotfitcompanyforeachother。
  ButImightdiscoverwhatIwanttoknowinanotherway。Imightcallonthedoctor,afterhehasgoneoutonhisafternoonroundofvisits,andmighttelltheservantIwouldwaitforhismaster’sreturn。Nobodywouldbeinmyway;Imightgetatthemedicalliteratureintheconsulting—room,andfindtheinformationformyself。
  Aknockatmydoorinterruptedmeinthemidstofmyplans。Mrs。
  Tenbruggenagain!——stillinafidgetystateoffeelingonthesubjectofmyhealth。"Whichisit?"shesaid。"Painofbody,mydear,orpainofmind?Iamanxiousaboutyou。"
  "MydearElizabeth,yoursympathyisthrownawayonme。AsIhavetoldyoualready,Iamover—tired——nothingmore。"
  ShewasrelievedtohearthatIhadnomentaltroublestocomplainof。"Fatigue,"sheremarked,"setsitselfrightwithrest。Didyoutakeaverylongwalk?"
  "Yes。"
  "Beyondthelimitsofthetown,ofcourse?Philiphasbeentakingawalkinthecountry,too。Hedoesn’tsaythathemetyou。"
  Thesecleverpeoplesometimesoverreachthemselves。Howshesuggestedittome,Icannotpretendtohavediscovered。ButI
  didcertainlysuspectthatshehadledPhilip,whiletheyweretogetherdownstairs,intosayingtoherwhathehadalreadysaidtoMissJillgall。IwassoangrythatItriedtopumpmyexcellentfriend,asshehadbeentryingtopumpme——avulgarexpression,butvulgarwritingissuchaconvenientwayofwritingsometimes。MyfirstattempttoentraptheMasseusefailedcompletely。Shecoollychangedthesubject。
  "HaveIinterruptedyouinwriting?"sheasked,pointingtomyDiary。
  "No;IwasidlingoverwhatIhavewrittenalready——anextraordinarystorywhichIcopiedfromabook。"
  "MayIlookatit?"
  IpushedtheopenDiaryacrossthetable。IfIwastheobjectofanysuspicionswhichshewantedtoconfirm,itwouldbecurioustoseeifthepoisoningstoryhelpedher。"It’sapieceoffamilyhistory,"Isaid;"Ithinkyouwillagreewithmethatitisreallyinteresting。"
  Shebegantoread。Asshewenton,notallherpowerofcontrollingherselfcouldpreventherfromturningpale。Thischangeofcolor(insuchawoman)alittlealarmedme。Whenagirlisdevouredbydeadlyhatredofaman,doesthefeelingshowitselftootherpersonsinherface?Imustpracticebeforetheglassandtrainmyfaceintoatrustworthystateofdiscipline。
  "Coarsemelodrama!"Mrs。Tenbruggendeclared。"Meresensation。Noanalysisofcharacter。Amade—upstory!"
  "Wellmadeup,surely?"Ianswered。
  "Idon’tagreewithyou。"Hervoicewasnotquitesosteadyasusual。Sheaskedsuddenlyifmyclockwasright——anddeclaredthatsheshouldbelateforanappointment。Ontakingleaveshepressedmyhandstrongly——eyedmewithdistrustfulattentionandsaid,veryemphatically:"Takecareofyourself,Helena;praytakecareofyourself。"
  IamafraidIdidaveryfoolishthingwhenIshowedherthepoisoningstory。Hasithelpedthewilyoldcreaturetolookintomyinmostthoughts?
  Impossible!
  To—day,MissJillgallreturned,lookinghideouslyhealthyandspitefullycheerful。Althoughshetriedtoconcealit,whileI
  waspresent,IcouldseethatPhiliphadrecoveredhisplaceinherfavor。Afterwhathehadsaidtoherbehindthehedgeatthefarm,shewouldberelievedfromallfearofmybecominghiswife,andwouldjoyfullyanticipatehismarriagetoEunice。TherearethoughtsinmewhichIdon’tsetdowninmybook。Ionlysay:
  Weshallsee。
  Thisafternoon,Idecidedonvisitingthedoctor。Theservantwasquitesorryformewhenheansweredthedoor。Hismasterhadjustleftthehouseforaroundofvisits。IsaidIwouldwait。TheservantwasafraidIshouldfindwaitingverytedious。IremindedhimthatIcouldgoawayifIfoundittedious。Atlast,thepoliteoldmanleftme。
  Iwentintotheconsulting—room,andreadthebacksofthemedicalbooksrangedroundthewalls,andfoundavolumethatinterestedme。TherewassuchcuriousinformationinitthatI
  amusedmyselfbymakingextracts,usingthefirstsheetsofpaperthatIcouldfind。Theyhadprinteddirectionsatthetop,whichshowedthatthedoctorwasaccustomedtowritehisprescriptionsonthem。Wehadmany,toomany,ofhisprescriptionsinourhouse。
  Theservant’sdoubtsofmypatienceprovedtohavebeenwellfounded。Igottiredofwaiting,andwenthomebeforethedoctorreturned。
  Frommorningtonight,nothinghasbeenseenofMrs。Tenbruggento—day。Norhasanyapologyforherneglectofusbeenreceived,fondassheisofwritinglittlenotes。HasthatstoryinmyDiarydrivenheraway?Letmeseewhatto—morrowmaybringforth。
  To—dayhasbroughtforth——nothing。Mrs。Tenbruggenstillkeepsawayfromus。ItlooksasifmyDiaryhadsomethingtodowiththemysteryofherabsence。
  Iamnotingoodspiritsto—day。Mynerves——ifIhavesuchthings,whichismorethanIknowbymyownexperience——havebeenalittleshakenbyahorriddream。Themedicalinformation,whichmythirstforknowledgeabsorbedinthedoctor’sconsulting—room,turnedtraitor——armeditselfwiththegrotesquehorrorsofnightmare——andsothoroughlyfrightenedmethatIwasonthepointofbeingfoolishenoughtodestroymynotes。Ithoughtbetterofit,andmynotesaresafeunderlockandkey。
  Mr。PhilipDunboyneistryingtopavethewayforhisflightfromthishouse。HespeaksoffriendsinLondon,whoseinterestwillhelphimtofindtheemploymentwhichistheobjectofhisambition。"Inafewdaysmore,"hesaid,"Ishallaskforleaveofabsence。"
  Insteadoflookingatme,hiseyeswanderedtothewindow;hisfingersplayedrestlesslywithhiswatch—chainwhilehespoke。I
  thoughtIwouldgivehimachance,alastchance,ofmakingtheatonementthatheowestome。Thisshowsshamefulweakness,onmypart。Doesmyownresolutionstartleme?Ordoesthewretchappeal——towhat?Tomypity?Itcannotbemylove;IampositivelysurethatIhatehim。Well,Iamnotthefirstgirlwhohadbeenanunanswerableriddletoherself。
  "Isthereanyothermotiveforyourdeparture?"Iasked。
  "Whatothermotivecantherebe?"hereplied。IputwhatIhadtosaytohiminplainerwordsstill。"Tellme,Philip,areyoubeginningtowishthatyouwereafreemanagain?"
  Hestillprevaricated。Wasthisbecauseheisafraidofme,orbecauseheisnotquitebruteenoughtoinsultmetomyface?I
  triedagainforthethirdandlasttime。Ialmostputthewordsintohismouth。
  "Ifancyyouhavebeenoutoftemperlately,"Isaid。"Youhavenotbeenyourownkinderandbetterself。IsthistherightinterpretationofthechangethatIthinkIseeinyou?"
  Heanswered:"Ihavenotbeenverywelllately。"
  "Andthatisall?"
  "Yes——thatisall。"
  Therewasnomoretobesaid;Iturnedawaytoleavetheroom。Hefollowedmetothedoor。Afteramomentaryhesitation,hemadetheattempttokissme。Ionlylookedathim——hedrewbackfrommeinsilence。IleftthenewJudas,standingalone,whiletheshadesofeveningbegantogatherovertheroom。
  ThirdPeriod_(continued)。_
  _EVENTSINTHEFAMILY,RELATEDBYMISSJILLGALL。_
  CHAPTERLVIII。
  DANGER。
  "IFanythingofimportancehappens,Itrusttoyoutowriteanaccountofit,andtosendthewritingtome。Iwillcometoyouatonce,ifIseereasontobelievethatmypresenceisrequired。"Thoselines,inyourlastkindreplytome,rousemycourage,dearMr。Governor,andsharpenthevigilancewhichhasalwaysbeenoneofthestrongpointsinmycharacter。Everysuspiciouscircumstancewhichoccursinthishousewillbe(sotospeak)seizedonbymypen,andwillfinditself(sotospeakagain)placedonitstrial,beforeyourunerringjudgment!Letthewickedtremble!Imentionnonames。
  TakingupmynarrativewhereitcametoanendwhenIlastwrote,Ihavetosayawordfirstonthesubjectofmydiscoveries,inregardtoPhilip’smovements。
  Theadvertisementofaprivateinquiryoffice,whichIreadinanewspaper,putthethingintomyhead。Iprovidedmyselfwithmoneytopaytheexpensesby——IblushwhileIwriteit——pawningmywatch。Thishumiliationofmypoorselfhasbeenrewardedbysuccess。Skilledinvestigationhasprovedthatouryoungmanhascometohissensesagain,exactlyasIsupposed。Oneachoccasionwhenhewassuspiciouslyabsentfromthehouse,hehasbeenfollowedtothefarm。Ihavebeenstayingtheremyselfforadayortwo,inthehopeofpersuadingEunicetorelent。Thehopehasnotyetbeenrealized。ButPhilip’sdevotion,assistedbymyinfluence,willyetprevail。Letmenotdespair。
  WhetherHelenaknowspositivelythatshehaslostherwickedholdonPhilipIcannotsay。Itseemshardlypossiblethatshecouldhavemadethediscoveryjustyet。TheonethingofwhichIamcertainis,thatshelookslikeafiend。
  Philiphaswiselytakenmyadvice,andemployedpiousfraud。Hewillgetawayfromthewretch,whohastemptedhimonceandmaytempthimagain,underpretenseofusingtheinterestofhisfriendsinLondontofindaplaceunderGovernment。Hehasnotbeenverywellforthelastdayortwo,andtheexecutionofourprojectisinconsequencedelayed。
  IhavenewsofMrs。Tenbruggenwhichwill,Ithink,surpriseyou。
  Shehaskeptawayfromusinamostunaccountablemanner。I
  calledonheratthehotel,andheardshewasengagedwithherlawyer。Onthenextday,shesuddenlyreturnedtoheroldhabits,andpaidthecustomaryvisit。Iobservedasimilaralterationinherstateoffeeling。SheisnowcoldlyciviltoHelena;andsheasksafterEunicewithamaternalinteresttouchingtosee——I