, Mr. Key," returned the religieuse gently, "but to a
well-known man--a man of affairs in the country where this unhappy
child's brother lives--a friend who seems to be sent by Heaven to find
out this brother for us, and speed this news to him. We come to the old
pupil of Father Cipriano, a friend of the Holy Church; to the kindly
gentleman who knows what it is to have dear relations of his own, and
who only yesterday was seeking the convent to"--

"Enough!" interrupted Key hurriedly, with a slight color. "I will go
at once. I do not know this man, but I will do my best to find him.
And this--this--young girl? You say you have no trace of her? May she
not still be here? I should have some clue by which to seek her--I
mean that I could give to her brother."

"Alas! we fear she is already far away from here. If she went at once
to San Luis, she could have easily taken a train to San Francisco
before we discovered her flight. We believe that it was the poor
child's intent to join her brother, so as to intercede for her
friend--or, perhaps, alas! to seek her."

"And this friend left yesterday morning?" he said quickly, yet
concealing a feeling of relief. "Well, you may depend on me! And now,
as there is no time to be lost, I will make my arrangements to take the
next train." He held out his hand, paused, and said in almost boyish
embarrassment: "Bid me God speed, Sister Seraphina!"

"May the Holy Virgin aid you," she said gently. Yet, as she passed out
of the door, with a grateful smile, a characteristic reaction came over
Key. His romantic belief in the interposition of Providence was not
without a tendency to apply the ordinary rules of human evidence to
such phenomena. Sister Seraphina's application to him seemed little
short of miraculous interference; but what if it were only a trick to
get rid of him, while the girl, whose escapade had been discovered, was
either under restraint in the convent, or hiding in Santa Luisa? Yet
this did not prevent him from mechanically continuing his arrangements
for departure. When they were completed, and he had barely time to get
to the station at San Luis, he again lingered in vague expectation of
some determining event.

The appearance of a servant with a telegraphic message at this moment
seemed to be an answer to this instinctive feeling. He tore it open
hastily. But it was only a single line from his foreman at the mine,
which had been repeated to him from th