Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-13.pdf/203

202 young, I thought, for any more complicated operation than that, unless she had confederates outside. I had noticed her balancing her teaspoon now on her finger and now on the edge of her cup. Was she trying its weight? I said to her, "It is little and old-fashioned, and not very heavy."

"Oh," she said, "it's a trick I have. I sometimes catch myself doing it unconsciously."

Was it also unconsciously that she had looked at and admired some articles of jewelry that were lying about? I must say for myself that I blushed at the private detective sort of line my thoughts had taken. No, no: without doubt she was good and true. Her face looked the picture of innocence: so young and so fresh, it seemed to me to be not an inappropriate successor to the good aged face I used to gaze at in that place. If a little dog had run to my door for shelter, I must have taken it in and loved it; and as I gazed at this girl's sleeping face long and unrestrainedly, I loved her.

The second morning after she came, while we were at breakfast, a large packet came by post. At first I thought, "Now this has some connection with my young guest;" and I looked at it and then at her. She caught my idea from my face, and answered it. "It can't be anything about me," she said, "for nobody can know I am here."

"We'll soon see what it is," said I; and opening it, there fell out a great many letters, all addressed to No. 7810, Eastwick Times office. They were answers to my advertisement for a home, which I had almost forgotten. I found I had the choice of thirty-seven "homes," the doors of which were all standing wide, inviting me to enter.

"See, Christy," I said, "you may look over these if it will amuse you."

"What a lot of letters! What are they all about?"

"Read: you will learn."

"Who is it that's wanting a place to live in ?"

"Me."

"Nonsense! You don't want to leave this home, do you?"

"Why should I not want to leave my home, as well as you yours?"

"The cases are different. I didn't leave my house, and nobody is asking you to leave yours. You seem to want to go anywhere with anybody."

"Well, that's what you have done."

"But I didn't intend it. I would never have thought of advertising for a home."

"And I would never have thought of walking into any house purely by chance."

While she was opening the contents of the budget one by one, I had taken the newspaper, and in glancing over it I came on this: "The young lady who left A. with J. H. on Tuesday, the 24th of December, is entreated to communicate with J. H., who is awfully anxious."

Then immediately below was another notice to this effect: "To hotel and lodging-house keepers. A young lady left her place of residence on Tuesday, the 24th of December. She is known to have traveled by the A. and R. Railway. Had on a green velvet bonnet, gray cloak and chinchilla muff. Any one giving information about her will be handsomely rewarded. Should this meet the eye of the young lady herself, she is most earnestly requested to return or communicate with the D.'s immediately: if not, all the telegraphs will be set in motion, and her carte forwarded to every police station in the kingdom, which the D.'s have as yet refrained from doing, to avoid what might be unnecessary publicity, they having confidence in her good sense."

I looked at my guest as she sat going through my correspondence with the keen interest and amusement natural to her age.

"Look here," she said; and she held up an envelope, the very sight of which chilled my blood: it was blacked an inch deep, as was the note-paper.

"That's surely the luxury of woe," I said.

"Well, listen," said she:

"A widow lady, occupying an elegant flat in the west end of Eastwick, and very recently bereaved, wants a lady to live with her for company. If you would