t. You can
always trust to my discretion. But I would like just to remember her
name. It was so peculiar,--a name I never heard before."

The detective, who had been respectably married since he was twenty,
found himself unable to remember any female names and finally in agony
suggested "Mary."

"Mary, my dear fellow, no; that was your friend the paper-girl. There is
nothing very unusual about Mary, is there, Holland? No, the name I was
trying to think of was Ethelberta. Now you remember, don't you?"

"No, I don't," said the detective crossly, casting an appealing look at
Geoffrey.

"How sad that is," said McVay philosophically. "You don't even remember
her name, and at one time--well, well."

Or again, he would exclaim brightly, studying the detective's
countenance.

"Ah, Henderson, I see the mark of Sweeney's bullet has entirely gone. I
was afraid it would leave a scar. Tell my sister that yarn. I think it
would interest her."

"Yes, do, Mr. Picklebody," said the girl politely and McVay, when he had
sufficiently tortured his victim, would at length launch out into a
story himself. Miserable as the detective was under this sort of
treatment, it soon appeared that McVay's ease and facility had made an
impression on him, and that he looked at his prisoner with a sort of
wondering admiration.

"Now, Holland, are we all ready? Cecilia, have you got your little bag?"
he began when they were about to depart. "Holland, my dear fellow, don't
think me interfering if I ask whether you have locked to all the doors
and windows? Tramps and thieves are so apt to break into shut-up houses,
and it would be such a pity if anything happened to any of your pretty
things. Ah, what an expanse of snow. Beautiful, isn't it? You may talk
about your tropical scenery, Hen, but we shan't see anything finer than
this the world over. What a contrast the south will be though, eh, old
man?" and, drawing the detective's arm through his, leaning heavily upon
him meanwhile, McVay moved forward, talking volubly.

Cecilia and Geoffrey hesitated a moment looking up at the house that had
seen such momentous changes in their lives.

"When we come back, it will be spring," said Geoffrey softly.

"Oh," said the girl in rather a shaky voice, "you like me well enough to
ask me to stay again?"

"Well enough," said Geoffrey, "to ask you to stay forever."

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BURGLAR AND THE BLIZZARD***

******* This f