lade
in G Minor. Mrs. De Peyster listened contemptuously; then with
rebellious interest; then with complete absorption. That person below
could certainly play the piano--brilliantly, feelingly, with the touch
and insight of an artist. Mrs. De Peyster's soul rose and fell with
the soul of the song, and when the piano, after its uprushing, almost
human closing cry, fell sharply into silence, she was for the moment
that piano's vassal.

Then she remembered who was the player. Instinctively her emotions
chilled; and she lay stiffly in bed, hostile, on guard, defying the
charm of the further music.

Suddenly the piano broke off in the very middle of Liszt's Rhapsodic
Number Twelve. The way the music snapped off startled her. There was
something inexplicably ominous about it. Intuitively she felt that
something was happening below. She wondered what it could be.

An hour passed; she continued wondering; then Matilda entered the
attic room, behind her Mr. Pyecroft and Mary.

"Sister"--such familiarity was difficult to Matilda, even though
she knew this familiarity was necessary to maintain the roles
circumstances and Mr. Pyecroft had forced upon them--"sister," she
quavered, "I thought you might be interested to know that the bell
rang awhile ago, and I went down, and there was a man--with a note to
me from--from Mrs. De Peyster."

"What!" exclaimed Mrs. De Peyster, in an almost natural tone.

"It--it's disturbed us all so much that I thought you might like to
look at it. Here it is."

Shakingly, Matilda held out a sheet of paper. Shakingly, but without
turning to face her visitors, Mrs. De Peyster took it. There was
enough light to see that the letter was written on heavy paper
embossed at the top with a flag and "S.S. Plutonia," and was dated the
evening she had supposedly gone on board. The note read:--

DEAR MATILDA:--

Just at this late moment I recall something which,
in the hurry of getting off, I forgot to tell you about.
This is that I left instructions with Mr. Howard, an
expert cabinet-maker, who has previously done
things for me under the supervision of the Tiffany
Studios, to go over all my furniture while I am abroad
and touch up and repair such pieces as may be out
of order. I am sending this letter to Mr. Howard
for him or his representative to present for identification
to you when he is ready to undertake the
work. See that he has every facility.

Mrs. De Peyster lay di