gotten."

"And you told her so? Women have hearts of stone!" cried Hubert. He
forgot that his conduct had not hitherto proved that his own was very
soft.

"I hope that we were not unkind to her," said Sister Louisa, with gentle
dignity. "It was to be for a time only. We wanted her to go down to
Leicestershire with two of our Sisters for a few weeks; we thought it
advisable that she should have a change. The Reverend Mother herself
mentioned the plan to her. I noticed that she changed color very much
when it was proposed. She made one of her sharp speeches--quite in her
old way, 'I see--I am not good enough to associate with the other
girls,' she said. We told her that it was no such thing--that we loved
her as much as ever--that it was only for her own good that she was to
leave St. Elizabeth's for a time; but I am afraid that it was all of no
avail. She listened to what we said with a face of stone. And in the
morning--in the morning, Mr. Lepel, we found that she was gone."

"Gone! Without the knowledge of any of you?"

"Entirely. She must have stolen out in the middle of the night when
every one was asleep. It is a wonder that no one heard her; but she is
very light-footed and very nimble. She must have climbed the garden
fence. She had left a folded piece of paper on her bed--it was a note
for me."

"May I see it?" said Hubert eagerly.

Sifter Louisa drew it from among the folds of her long black robes. He
turned away from her while he read the few blurred hastily-written lines
in which Janie said good-bye to the woman whom she had loved. He did not
want Sister Louisa to see his face. He was more touched by her story
than he liked to show.

"Dearest Mother Louisa," Janie had written, in her unformed girlish
hand--"Don't be more angry and grieved than you can help! If they had
all been like you, I would have stayed. But everyone will despise me
now. I shall go to some place where nobody knows me, and earn my own
living. Please forgive me! I do love you and St. Elizabeth's very much;
but I must go away--I must! I can't bear to stay now that everybody
knows all about me. I shall change my name, so you need not look for
me."

The letter was simply signed "Janie"--nothing more. Robert handed it
back to its owner with a grave word of thanks.

"How is it," he said, "that I did not hear of her leaving you before I
came to Winstead? Mrs. Rumbold is supposed to give me information of
anything of importance respecti