a little ruffled by the tone in which the
manager had spoken to him. 'I might, very possibly, have declined to
sleep in the room, if you had reserved it,' he said. 'Do you wish me
to leave the hotel?'

The manager saw the error that he had committed, and hastened to repair
it. 'Certainly not, sir! We will do our best to make you comfortable
while you stay with us. I beg your pardon, if I have said anything to
offend you. The reputation of an establishment like this is a matter
of very serious importance. May I hope that you will do us the great
favour to say nothing about what has happened upstairs? The two French
gentlemen have kindly promised to keep it a secret.'

This apology left Francis no polite alternative but to grant the
manager's request. 'There is an end to the Countess's wild scheme,' he
thought to himself, as he retired for the night. 'So much the better
for the Countess!'

He rose late the next morning. Inquiring for his Parisian friends, he
was informed that both the French gentlemen had left for Milan. As he
crossed the hall, on his way to the restaurant, he noticed the head
porter chalking the numbers of the rooms on some articles of luggage
which were waiting to go upstairs. One trunk attracted his attention
by the extraordinary number of old travelling labels left on it. The
porter was marking it at the moment--and the number was, '13 A.'
Francis instantly looked at the card fastened on the lid. It bore the
common English name, 'Mrs. James'! He at once inquired about the lady.
She had arrived early that morning, and she was then in the Reading
Room. Looking into the room, he discovered a lady in it alone.
Advancing a little nearer, he found himself face to face with the
Countess.

She was seated in a dark corner, with her head down and her arms
crossed over her bosom. 'Yes,' she said, in a tone of weary
impatience, before Francis could speak to her. 'I thought it best not
to wait for you--I determined to get here before anybody else could
take the room.'

'Have you taken it for long?' Francis asked.

'You told me Miss Lockwood would be here in a week's time. I have
taken it for a week.'

'What has Miss Lockwood to do with it?'

'She has everything to do with it--she must sleep in the room. I shall
give the room up to her when she comes here.'

Francis began to understand the superstitious purpose that she had in
view. 'Are you (an educated woman) really of the same opinion as my
sister's