Page:Elizabeth Jordan--Tales of the city room.djvu/186

 "You must have wondered who I am. I know you have realized that I am not what I seemed to be. The part I played was so new to me that I'm afraid I did n't do it very well. I'm going to ask you to let me tell you the whole story to-night. I warn you, though, that it's very egotistical, and I shall talk about myself the whole time! I came to tell it to Ruth and to ask her to pass it on. It is part of my good fortune to find you all together, for I'm going away to-morrow, and shall not return. I'm so glad my last night in New York will be spent with you."

She stopped for a moment.

"Going away!" they echoed, in dismal chorus. Mrs. Ogilvie crossed the room and dropped onto the ottoman at Miss Bertram's feet, her eyes full of tears.

"We shall be so sorry to lose you," she said softly.

"I know—I'm sure you will," the girl told her, looking down into the wet eyes with a responsive dimness in her own. "But we 're not parting forever. I'm going out of newspaper work for all time. But I hope