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 rather than to bring disgrace on a first-class and well-conducted establishment. 'Why?' indeed!"

"I have had a great deal of worry lately," said Prudence, "quite without any fault of my own, but neither my sister nor myself have done anything to bring disgrace on your establishment, Mrs. Wilcox."

"No!" ejaculated Mrs. Wilcox angrily. "Then what about all this baby-farming business, and detectives from Scotland Yard coming here looking for you?"

Utterly confounded by such unexpected knowledge on the part of her landlady, and ignorant of how much more she might have learned, Prudence could only gaze at her in helpless bewilderment, while Mrs. Wilcox stood nodding her head and grimly enjoying the confusion she had occasioned.

"I have been—I am in great trouble," Prudence stuttered; "but I am not to blame—no one is really to blame, if you'd only believe me. The whole thing was an accident. If you know anything at all about it, you must know it was an accident!"

"An accident?" shrieked Mrs. Wilcox. It flashed through her mind that perhaps after all the medical woman was right.