the street, pressed on through the
moving mass without looking to the right or left, till I reached the
shop where my jewels were deposited,--took them without waiting for
explanation or inquiry, hurried back till I met St. James, slipped the
casket into his eager hand, and pressed on without uttering a syllable.
Never shall I forget the expression of his countenance as he received
the casket. The fierce, wild, exulting flash of his dark sunken eye,
whose reddish blackness seemed suddenly to ignite and burn like heated
iron. There was something demoniac in its glare, and it haunted me in my
dreams long, long afterwards.

I did not look back, but hurried on, rejoicing that rapidity of motion
was too customary in Broadway to attract attention. Before I arrived at
the place of meeting, I wished to divest myself of the shawl which I had
used as a disguise; and it was no difficult matter, where poverty is met
in all its forms of wretchedness and woe.

"Take this, my good woman," said I, throwing the soft gray covering over
the shoulders of a thin, shivering, haggard looking female, on whose
face chill penury was written in withering lines. "You are cold and
suffering."

"Bless your sweet face. God Almighty bless you!" was wafted to my ears,
in tremulous accents,--for I did not stop to meet her look of wonder,
gratitude, and ecstasy. I did not deserve her blessing; but the garment
sheltered her meagre frame, and she went on her way rejoicing.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

When I entered Mrs. Brahan's drawing-room, I was in a kind of
somnambulism,--moving, walking, seeing, yet hardly conscious of what I
was doing, or what was passing around me. She was the president of the
association, and a very charming woman.

"We feared we were not going to see you this morning," she said,
glancing at a French clock, which showed the lateness of the hour; "but
we esteem it a privilege to have you with us, even for a short time. We
know," she added, with a smile, "what a sacrifice we impose on Mr.
Linwood, when we deprive him of your society."

"Yes!" cried a sprightly young lady, with whom I was slightly
acquainted, "we all consider it an event, when we can catch a glimpse of
Mrs. Linwood. Her appearance at the theatre last night created as great
a sensation as would a new constellation in the zodiac."

These allusions to my husband's exclusive devotion brought the color to
my cheeks, and the soft, warm air of the room stole soothingly