the moonlit
room, a mass of fur-lined cloak over a chair. She had forgotten to
return it to George Ramsey. "I had Mrs. Ramsey's cloak coming home,"
she called.

"Well, I'm glad you did. It's awful early to go to bed. Don't you
want something?"

"No, thank you."

"Don't you want me to heat a soapstone and fetch it up to you?"

"No, thank you."

"Well, good-night," said Aunt Maria, in a puzzled voice.

"Good-night," said Maria. Then she heard her aunt go away.

It was a long time before Maria went to sleep. She awoke about two
o'clock in the morning and was conscious of having been awakened by a
strange odor, a combined odor of camphor and lavender, which came
from Mrs. Ramsey's cloak. It disturbed her, although she could not
tell why. Then all at once she saw, as plainly as if he were really
in the room, George Ramsey's face. At first a shiver of delight came
over her; then she shuddered. A horror, as of one under conviction of
sin, came over her. It was as if she repelled an evil angel from her
door, for she remembered all at once what had happened to her, and
that it was a sin for her even to dream of George Ramsey; and she had
allowed him to come into her waking dreams. She got out of bed, took
up the soft cloak, thrust it into her closet, and shut the door. Then
she climbed shivering back into bed, and lay there in the moonlight,
entangled in the mystery of life.

Chapter XIX

The very next day, which was Saturday, and consequently a holiday,
Maria went on the trolley to Westbridge, which was a provincial city
about six miles from Amity. She proposed buying some clothing for
Jessy Ramsey with the ten dollars which George Ramsey had given her.
Her aunt Eunice accompanied her.

"George Ramsey goes over to Westbridge on the trolley," said Eunice,
as they jolted along--the cars were very well equipped, but the road
was rough--"and I shouldn't wonder if he was on our car coming back."

Maria colored quickly and looked out of the window. The cars were
constructed like those on steam railroads, with seats facing towards
the front, and Maria's aunt had insisted upon her sitting next to the
window because the view was in a measure new to her. She had not been
over the road many times since she had come to Amity. She stared out
at the trimly kept country road, lined with cheap Queen Anne houses
and the older type of New England cottages and square frame houses,
and it all looked strange to her after the r