ange, Parker. What is the matter with you? Are you
ill?"

"No, ma'am; but Miss Vane is."

Flossy grew a shade paler and looked up. She was still in her
dressing-gown--white, edged everywhere with costly lace--and her fair
hair was hanging loose over her shoulders.

"Ill? What is the matter with her?"

"I--I thought perhaps you would know, ma'am," said Parker desperately.
Then, afraid of what she had said, she turned to a drawer, pulled it
open, and began ransacking it diligently. From the momentary silence in
the room she felt as if her shaft had gone home; but she dared not look
round to see.

"What on earth do you mean, Parker?" said Mrs. Vane, after that one dead
pause, which said so much to her maid's suspicious ears; the chill
disdain in her voice was inimitable. "How can I tell you what is the
matter with Miss Vane when I have not seen her since dinner-time
yesterday? She was well enough then--at least, as well as she has been
since this trying weather began."

"Didn't you see her last night, ma'am, when you went to her room about
eleven o'clock?" said Parker, trying to assume a bolder tone, but
failing to hide her nervousness.

Again a short but unmistakable pause.

"No, I did not," said Mrs. Vane drily. "I listened at the door to see if
she was asleep, but I did not go in."

"She seems to have been dreaming that you did, ma'am."

"What nonsense!" said Mrs. Vane, a little hurriedly. "You should not
attend to all her fancies, Parker. You know that she has very odd
fancies indeed sometimes. The shock of her father's death when she was a
child had a very injurious effect upon her nerves, and I should never be
surprised at anything that she chose to do or say. Pray don't get into
the way of repeating her words, or of imagining that they must
necessarily be true!"

"No, ma'am," said Parker submissively.

Evidently there was nothing more for her to say. Well, perhaps she had
put her mistress on her guard.

"Oh, by-the-bye, Parker! There are two dresses of mine in the
wardrobe--the brown one and the silk--that you can do what you like
with. And I was thinking of sending a little present to your mother. You
may take this purse--there are seven pounds in it; send it to her from
me, if you like, as a little acknowledgment of your faithful service.
And, if--if there is anything else that I can do for her, you need only
mention it."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Parker, but without enthusiasm. "I don't know
a