rded as to humor her hallucination, in case she
should still imagine herself to be in a country house instead of the
county prison.

As Beatrix ended each sentence, she looked around to see if Sybil was
listening.

Ah! no; after the first few lines had been read, her attention wandered,
and at the end of the note she astonished the reader, by saying:

"I am very thirsty, Beatrix."

"Then, dear, let me help you to rise and dress; and you shall have some
tea. They are rough people we are stopping with, so I requested them to
bring our breakfast up here," said Miss Pendleton, artfully, and laying
aside the note.

Sybil submitted to the services of her friend. And then for the first
time Beatrix noticed that in this victim's case physical weakness was
now added to mental infirmity. Body and mind were both failing together.
"Well, so best," thought Sybil's true friend.

By the time they were both dressed, there was another sound of turning
locks and drawing bolts, and then the warden's daughter brought in the
tray of breakfast, while the warden himself stood outside on guard.

Notwithstanding the awful situation, both these young women were able to
take a little breakfast--poor Sybil because she was quite insensible of
the horrors of her position, and Miss Pendleton because, with all her
sorrowful sympathy for her companion, she had the appetite of a healthy
young woman who had been fasting some eighteen hours.

Soon after the breakfast was over and the service cleared away, Mr.
Berners came. Again bolts and bars were drawn, and the husband was
ushered in by the warden to see his wife.

Lyon Berners shook hands with Beatrix Pendleton, and then passed at once
to Sybil, who sat in a state of reverie on the side of her bed.

"You have come for me at last, Lyon?" she said. "The people here are
very kind, but I am very glad you have come, for I want to go home."

"Dear Sybil," he replied, embracing her, and humoring her delusion. "You
are not well enough to go home yet; you must stay here a little longer."

"Yes," she said, looking up for a moment, and then relapsing into
silence and reverie.

Mr. Berners exchanged a glance with Miss Pendleton.

At the same moment the warden put his head in at the door, and beckoned
Mr. Berners to come out into the passage.

"Well," inquired the latter, when he was outside.

"Well, sir," said the warden, "you know she must go into a regular cell
to-day. I can't help it. I wish