emember them perfectly well," Amelius answered.

"You remember them? That looks as if you had thought about them
afterwards. Come! tell me plainly what you did think?"

Amelius told her plainly. She became more and more interested, more and
more excited, as he went on.

"Quite right!" she exclaimed, starting to her feet and walking swiftly
backwards and forwards in the room. "There _is_ a lost girl whom I want
to find; and she is between sixteen and seventeen years old, as you
thought. Mind! I have no reason--not the shadow of a reason--for
believing that she is still a living creature. I have only my own stupid
obstinate conviction; rooted here," she pressed both hands fiercely on
her heart, "so that nothing can tear it out of me! I have lived in that
belief--Oh, don't ask me how long! it is so far, so miserably far, to
look back!" She stopped in the middle of the room. Her breath came and
went in quick heavy gasps; the first tears that had softened the hard
wretchedness in her eyes rose in them now, and transfigured them with
the divine beauty of maternal love. "I won't distress you," she said,
stamping on the floor, as she struggled with the hysterical passion that
was raging in her. "Give me a minute, and I'll force it down again."

She dropped into a chair, threw her arms heavily on the table, and laid
her head on them. Amelius thought of the child's frock and cap hidden
in the cabinet. All that was manly and noble in his nature felt for the
unhappy woman, whose secret was dimly revealed to him now. The little
selfish sense of annoyance at the awkward situation in which she had
placed him, vanished to return no more. He approached her, and put his
hand gently on her shoulder. "I am truly sorry for you," he said. "Tell
me how I can help you, and I will do it with all my heart."

"Do you really mean that?" She roughly dashed the tears from her eyes,
and rose as she put the question. Holding him with one hand, she parted
the hair back from his forehead with the other. "I must see your whole
face," she said--"your face will tell me. Yes: you do mean it. The world
hasn't spoilt you, yet. Do you believe in dreams?"

Amelius looked at her, startled by the sudden transition. She
deliberately repeated her question.

"I ask you seriously," she said; "do you believe in dreams?"

Amelius answered seriously, on his side, "I can't honestly say that I
do."

"Ah!" she exclaimed, "like me. I don't believe in dreams, either