our natural curiosity will
ask me again to find out what it means. Am I your friend, Selina, or am
I not?' This was so delightfully kind, and so irresistibly conclusive,
that I kissed her in a transport of gratitude. With what breathless
interest I have watched her progress toward penetrating the mystery of
the girls' ages, it is quite needless to tell you."

.......

Mrs. Tenbruggen's method of keeping Miss Jillgall in ignorance of what
she was really about, and Miss Jillgall's admirable confidence in the
integrity of Mrs. Tenbruggen, being now set forth on the best authority,
an exact presentation of the state of affairs will be completed if I
add a word more, relating to the positions actually occupied toward Mrs.
Tenbruggen's enterprise, by my correspondent and myself.

On her side, Miss Jillgall was entirely ignorant that one of the two
girls was not Mr. Gracedieu's daughter, but his adopted child. On
my side, I was entirely ignorant of Mrs. Tenbruggen's purpose in
endeavoring to identify the daughter of the murderess. Speaking of
myself, individually, let me add that I only waited the event to protect
the helpless ones--my poor demented friend, and the orphan whom his
mercy received into his heart and his home.

Miss Jillgall goes on with her curious story, as follows:

.......

"Always desirous of making myself useful, I thought I would give my dear
Elizabeth a hint which might save time and trouble. 'Why not begin,' I
suggested, 'by asking the Governor to help you?' That wonderful woman
never forgets anything. She had already applied to you, without success.

"In my next attempt to be useful, I did violence to my most cherished
convictions, by presenting the wretch Helena to the admirable Elizabeth.
That the former would be cold as ice, in her reception of any friend
of mine, was nothing wonderful. Mrs. Tenbruggen passed it over with
the graceful composure of a woman of the world. In the course of
conversation with Helena, she slipped in a question: 'Might I ask if you
are older than your sister?' The answer was, of course: 'I don't know.'
And here, for once, the most deceitful girl in existence spoke the
truth.

"When we were alone again, Elizabeth made a remark: 'If personal
appearance could decide the question,' she said, 'the disagreeable young
woman is the oldest of the two. The next thing to be done is to discover
if looks are to be trusted in this case.'

"My friend's lawyer received confidenti