heart, and sat down by the window without striking a light. In the
course of half an hour the doctor and Miss Custer appeared in sight,
walking slowly toward the house. They passed directly under her window,
but their voices were so low that she could distinguish no word. By and
by she heard the piano going. A moment after Mrs. Tascher tapped on her
door, and, turning the knob, put her head in and called, "Ruth!"

Ruth got up and came forward.

"Come," said her visitor, "let us go down to the parlor."

"I cannot," said Ruth: "please don't ask me."

"Foolish child!" said Mrs. Tascher. "I am a thousand times sorry that I
brought this thing to your notice."

"It was brought to my notice long ago," said Ruth brokenly; and Mrs.
Tascher turned and went down stairs.

The doctor was leaning back in an easy-chair, completely absorbed in
watching the exquisite figure at the piano and listening to the strains
she evoked.

"One _would_ think she had feeling," commented Mrs. Tascher mentally as
she entered the room and swept across to the vacant seat beside the
doctor, dispelling somehow, with her strong presence, the spirit of
sentimentalism that pervaded the atmosphere. "Why, Doctor Ebling, are
you here?" she asked: "I supposed you had gone to town. Where is Miss
Stanley?"

"I--I don't know," said the doctor--honestly enough, to be sure.

"I thought you all went down to the croquet-ground?"

"Yes, we did. But she came back, and left Miss Custer and myself to
finish our game."

"Oh, then I presume she is in her room.--Have you finished playing, Miss
Custer?" with a smile of placid indifference as Miss Custer turned round
on the piano-stool.

"Yes," said Miss Custer, getting up and taking a chair. "Doctor Ebling
wished to hear the 'Last Hope.'"

"You haven't come to that in your experience yet, have you, doctor?"
laughed Mrs. Tascher, though she was not in the habit of playing upon
words.

"No," said the doctor. "It seems to me the 'last hope' is that we feel
when we draw our last breath."

The three spent the evening together, and Mrs. Tascher brought into
exercise the old charms and graces of manner and conversation that years
ago had made her one of the most brilliant and fascinating women society
could boast of. She was not old--not more than thirty-five--and when
animated she was still beautiful: her face became illuminated and stars
shone in her eyes. She so far outdid Miss Custer in the matter of
pleasing