-but, alas! that is now all of the
past. My father is compelled to travel, and I must, of necessity, go
with him. I am afraid," she added quickly, "that I bore you with this
chronicle of my own troubles. I really ought not to say this--to you,
a stranger," she said, with a low, nervous little laugh.

"Though I may be a stranger, yet, surely, I may become your friend," I
remarked, looking into her beautiful face, half concealed by the blue
wrap.

For a moment she hesitated; then, halting in the gravelled path and
looking at me, she replied very seriously--

"No; please do not speak of that again."

"Why not?"

"Well--only because you must not become my friend."

"You are lonely," I blurted forth. "I have watched you, and I have
seen that you are in sore need of a friend. Do you deny that?"

"No," she faltered. "I--I--yes, what you say is, alas! correct. How
can I deny it? I have no friend; I am alone."

"Then allow me to be one. Put to me whatever test you will," I
exclaimed, "and I hope I may bear it satisfactorily. I, too, am a
lonely man--a wanderer. I, too, am in need of a friend in whom I can
confide, whose guidance I can ask. Surely there is no friend better
for a lonely man than a good woman?"

"Ah, no," she cried, suddenly covering her face with both her hands.
"You don't know--you are ignorant. Why do you say this?"

"Why? Shall I tell you why?" I asked, gallantly bending to her in deep
earnestness. "Because I have watched you--because I know you are very
unhappy!"

She held her breath. By the faint ray of the distant electric light I
saw her face had become changed. She betrayed her emotions and her
nervousness by the quick twitching of her fingers and her lips.

"No," she said at last very decisively; "you must abandon all thought
of friendship with me. It is impossible--quite impossible!"

"Would my friendship be so repugnant to you, then?" I asked quickly.

"No, no, not that," she cried, laying her trembling fingers upon my
coat-sleeve. "You--you don't understand--you cannot dream of my
horrible position--of the imminent peril of yours."

"Peril! What do you mean?" I asked, very much puzzled.

"You are in grave danger. Be careful of yourself," she said anxiously.
"You should always carry some weapon with you, because----" and she
broke off short, without concluding her sentence.

"Because--why?"

"Well, because an accident might happen to you--an accident planned by
those who are your