The Fallen Leaves

impulsively f

r promise," she whispered. "All I ask of you is to be silent." She softly drew the key out of the do

urably do was to say nothing, and submit to it. He remained quietly by the fire. No imaginable consideration

ouse-door. Regina's voic

aunt c

, m

heard noth

ing,

oldenheart

, m

What can have becom

cert room. Don't alarm yourself, Regina. I must go back, under any circumstances; the carriage wil

needn't wait.) Is it really true th

already? I'll try to like

sound was followed, in another moment, by the opening and closing of th

ou I had one consolation still possibly left. Judge for yourself what the hope of it is to me, when I own to you that I should long since have put an end to my life, without it. Don't think I am talking nonsense; I mean what I say. It is one of my misfortunes that I have no religious scruples to restrain me. There was a time when I believed that religion might comfort me. I

perfectly well,"

u had thought about them afterwards. Co

ame more and more interested, mor

only my own stupid obstinate conviction; rooted here," she pressed both hands fiercely on her heart, "so that nothing can tear it out of me! I have lived in that belief-Oh, don't ask me how long! it is so far, so miserably far, to look back!" She stopped in the middle of the room. Her breath came and went in quick heavy gasp

e in his nature felt for the unhappy woman, whose secret was dimly revealed to him now. The little selfish sense of annoyance at the awkward situation in which she had placed him, vanis

him with one hand, she parted the hair back from his forehead with the other. "I must see your whole face," she

by the sudden transition. She de

," she said; "do you

ly, on his side, "I can'

in superstitions; I'm too hard-and I'm sorry for it. I have seen people who were comforted by their superstit

e instances of it are too many. But for one

little hope can live on! There is just the barest possibility that what I dreamed of you the other night may co

ng itself under the disguise of hope-only strengthened the compassionate sympathy

I could only feel some people's confidence in three times! No; it produced an impression on me-and that was all. I got as far as thinking to myself, there is just a chance; I haven't a creature in the world to help me; I may as well speak to him. O, you needn't remind me that there is a rational explanation of my dream. I have read it all up, in the Encyclopaedia in the library. One of the ideas of wise men is that we think of something, consciously or unconsciously, in the daytime, and then reprod

loving instinct in her nature still piteously struggling for existence, with no sympathy to sustain it, with no light to guide it-would have touched the heart of any man not incurably

head, and sm

home people see in a year. How do we know what the future has in store for us? I have my own idea. She may be lost in the labyrinth of London,

uld happen," he objected, "how am I to know the lost girl? You can't describe her to me; you have not seen her

ow no

tely no

tely no

elt a suspicion o

te. I was ill at the time. When my mind got clear again, I began to suspect one particular person-little by little, you know;

er on. "Did you suspect

d shock you!" She clenched her fists as she said the words. "It's well for that man," she muttered between her teeth, "that I have never got beyond suspecting, and never fo

I couldn't possibly know it. And I must say more than that-I don't see how you yo

r. She showed no sign of irritation-she look

distrust you-I forgot myself. You have innocently said something that rankles in my mind. I can't leave it where yo

thoughts, keeping her

Listen to this. When I banged to the door of that big cupboard of mine, it was because

to answer. Amelius hesitated. M

anything?"

that he had

fire. Her firm full tones sank so low, when

hing belongin

es

e have gone too far to go back. I don't want

es

she still looked into fire-looked, as if all her

e?" she asked at

am only sorry for yo

till looked into the fire-and that was all. "What a good

turned towards him again as a

should recognize her, if she stood before me now. That might be quite true, if I had only my own poor hopes and anxieties to guide me. But I have something else to guide me-and, after what has passed between us, you may as well know what it is: it might even, by accident, guide you. Don't alarm yourself; it's nothing distressing this time. How can I explain it?" she wen

ing them. For the first time, he began to understand those men, and to sympathize with them. He admitted

she goes out to a ball, she favours you with a view of her bosom, and a part of her back. Now

ed, like a m

rked-and waited again fo

he window," sa

ooked out, he observed that some person at that moment in the kitchen required apparently a large supply of fresh air. The swinging window, on the side of the skylight which was nearest to him, was invisibly and noiselessly pulled open from below; the similar w

Mrs. Farnaby. "You

Farnaby's feet was placed, ready for inspection, on the chair which he had just left. "Loo

f, it was a foot to be photographed, to be cast in plaster, to be fondled and kissed. Amelius attempted to express his admiration, but was not allowed to get beyond the first two or three words. "N

chair. "Look between the third

this case, by a singular defect. The two toes were bound together by a flexible web, or me

e." She stopped, as if to give him an opportunity of speaking. A man shallow and flippant by nature might have seen the disclosure in a grotesque aspect. Amelius was sad and silent. "I like you better and better," she went on. "You are not like the common run of m

the chair-then, after a moment's

thought of other marks and signs-but not one of them could guess at such a mark as that. Have you got your pocket-book, Amelius? In case we are separated at some later time, I want to write the name and address in it of a

had given to her, after having inscribed a ma

ll have my address, and my positive orders (though they keep it a secret from all the world besides) to tell it to you. I don't ask your pardon, Amelius, for troubling you. The chances are so terribly against me; it is all but impossible that I shall ever see you-as I saw you in my dream-coming into the room, leading my girl by the hand. Odd, isn't it? This is how I veer about between hope and despair. Well, it may amuse you to remember it, one of

: a woman whose whole nature was maternal, who was nothing if not a mother; and who had lived

ut in spite of me. Go, and tell my niece it's all right-and don't be stupid enough to fall in love with a girl who has no l

lf into her room. He advanced along the hall,