hrough the opening, followed
by Mr. Tamworth, and, in a long minute afterward, by myself.

Shall I ever forget my emotions as I looked about me and saw, by the
lamp which the doctor carried, nothing more startling than an old oak
chest in one corner, a pile of faded clothing in another, and in a
third--Heavens! what is it? We all stare, and then a shriek escapes my
lips as piercing and terror-stricken as any that ever disturbed those
fearful shadows; and I rush blindly from the spot, followed by Mr.
Tamworth, whose face, as I turn to look at him, gives me another pang of
fear, so white and sick it looks in the sudden glare of day.

Worse than I had thought, worse than I had dreamed! I cannot speak, and
fall into a chair, waiting in mortal terror for the doctor, who stayed
some minutes behind. When his kindly but not undisturbed countenance
showed itself again in the gap at the side of the fireplace, I could
almost have thrown myself at his feet.

[Illustration]

"What is it?" I gasped. "Tell me at once. Is it a man or a woman or--"

"It is a woman. See! here is a lock of her hair. Beautiful, is it not?
She must have been young."

I stared at it like one demented. It was of a peculiar reddish-brown,
with a strange little kink and curl in it. Where had I seen such hair
before? Somewhere. I remembered perfectly how the whole bright head
looked with the firelight playing over it. Oh, no, no, no, it was not
that of Mrs. Urquhart. Mrs. Urquhart went away from this house well and
happy. I am mad, or this strand of gleaming hair is a dream. It is not
her head it recalls to me, and yet--my soul, it is!

The doctor, knowing me well, did not try to break the silence of that
first grewsome minute. But when he saw me ready to speak, he remarked:

"It is an old crime, perpetrated, probably, before you came into the
house. I would not make any more of it than you can help, Mrs. Truax."

I scarcely heeded him.

"Is there no bit of clothing or jewelry left upon her by which we might
hope to identify her?" I asked, shuddering, as I caught Mr. Tamworth's
eye, and realized the nature of the doubts I there beheld.

"Here is a ring I found upon the wedding finger," he replied. "It was
doubtless too small to be drawn off at the time of her death, but it
came away easily enough now."

And he held out a plain gold circlet which I eagerly took, looked at,
and fell at their feet as senseless as a stone.

On the inner surface I had