alf-an-hour, and they would certainly be late! No, here she
comes, but with a very grave face--much too grave--and oh, where is
Kate?

"Children, we must start," said the Mother sternly, "Kate is not
coming." Naturally the children wondered, and questioned amongst
themselves what had happened, but they little suspected the real facts.
Mother Agnes had gone to look for Kate in the dormitory, feeling that
she should like to take the child's hand in hers, and say something to
comfort and to strengthen her. But Kate was not in the dormitory. Her
grey Sunday dress lay, neatly folded on the bed, the Confirmation cap
arranged on the top of it, and by its side a note, addressed in a bold,
round hand to Mother Agnes.

What on earth could this mean? Mother Agnes stared at the dress,
fingered the note, and then unfastened it with a hand that trembled a
little. The contents were these--

"DEAR MOTHER AGNES,--You have been good to me, so I will tell you that
I am leaving, and not going to come back any more. And it is not
because I do not like you, for I do, though I have never loved any one
but Frances; but I cannot stay in this place any more. Oh! you do not
know what the pain is that I bear. When the birds sing, I seem to hear
Frances' voice singing with them as she did last spring, and I see her
running amongst the flower-beds, and I cannot look at the apple-tree
without seeing her little fair face peeping at me from between the
blossoms. Perhaps you will not care whether I go or stay, but I hope
you will not mind about me, for I shall go to London to find a place.
There's many younger than me in places already. But if I do not find a
place, perhaps I will drown myself in the river, for I am sick of life,
and I hope you will not think about me, or mind.----KATE DANIELS."

Mother Agnes' face grew very white as she read this letter--but no time
was to be lost--she sat down and wrote a little note giving information
to the police, and sent it by a servant; and then she went downstairs
to join the waiting children. She tried to comfort herself by thinking
that Kate could not have got very far in so short a time. At the most
she could only have been gone an hour, and surely she would be quickly
found? And yet, strange misgivings took possession of Mother Agnes'
mind.

* * * * * *

Ten days later, a tall woman dressed in black was hastening at early
dawn along the Thames embankme