of to
put me off the track and make me laugh. I'm sure I felt more like boxing
his ears. I saw you didn't like it either, sir."

"How so?"

"Oh, you needn't think I didn't notice the start you gave when he spoke,
and the angry way you looked at him. You may pretend all you want to, but
you can't cheat me. You'd be the very one to make an absurd fuss if you
thought I had even so much as looked at anybody else." And then she burst
out laughing at the red and pale confusion of his face. "Why, you're the
very picture of jealousy at the very mention of the thing. Dear me, what
a tyrant you are going to be! I was going to confess a lot of my old
flirtations to you, but now I sha'n't dare to. O Henry, how funny my face
feels when I laugh, so stiff, as if the muscles were all rusty! I should
think I hadn't laughed for a year by the feeling."

He scarcely dared leave her when they reached her lodgings, for fear that
she might get to thinking and puzzling over the matter, and, possibly, at
length might hit upon a clue which, followed up, would lead her back to
the grave so recently covered over in her life, and turn her raving mad
with the horror of the discovery. As soon as he possibly could, he almost
ran back to her lodgings in a panic. She had evidently been thinking
matters over.

"How came we here in Boston together, Henry? I don't seem to quite
understand why I came. I remember you came after me?"

"Yes, I came after you."

"What was the matter? Was I sick?"

"Very sick."

"Out of my head?"

"Yes."

"That's the reason you took me to the doctor, I suppose?"

"Yes."

"But why isn't mother here with me?"

"You--you didn't seem to want her," answered Henry, a cold sweat covering
his face under this terrible inquisition.

"Yes," said she, slowly, "I do remember your proposing she should come
and my not wanting her. I can't imagine why. I must have been out of my
head, as you say. Henry," she continued, regarding him with eyes of
sudden softness, "you must have been very good to me. Dr. Heidenhoff
could never make me forget that."

The next day her mother came. Henry met her at the station and explained
everything to her, so that she met Madeline already prepared for the
transformation, that is, as much prepared as the poor woman could be. The
idea was evidently more than she could take in. In the days that followed
she went about with a dazed expression on her face, and said very little.
When she looked at