. I want to hear how you found it out. Was
it by accident, my dear? or did a person tell you?"

Emily's mind was far away from Mrs. Ellmother. She rose from the sofa,
with her hands held fast over her aching heart.

"The one duty of my life," she said--"I am thinking of the one duty of
my life. Look! I am calm now; I am resigned to my hard lot. Never, never
again, can the dear memory of my father be what it was! From this time,
it is the horrid memory of a crime. The crime has gone unpunished; the
man has escaped others. He shall not escape Me." She paused, and looked
at Mrs. Ellmother absently. "What did you say just now? You want to hear
how I know what I know? Naturally! naturally! Sit down here--sit
down, my old friend, on the sofa with me--and take your mind back to
Netherwoods. Alban Morris--"

Mrs. Ellmother recoiled from Emily in dismay. "Don't tell me _he_ had
anything to do with it! The kindest of men; the best of men!"

"The man of all men living who least deserves your good opinion or
mine," Emily answered sternly.

"You!" Mrs. Ellmother exclaimed, "_you_ say that!"

"I say it. He--who won on me to like him--he was in the conspiracy to
deceive me; and you know it! He heard me talk of the newspaper story of
the murder of my father--I say, he heard me talk of it composedly, talk
of it carelessly, in the innocent belief that it was the murder of
a stranger--and he never opened his lips to prevent that horrid
profanation! He never even said, speak of something else; I won't hear
you! No more of him! God forbid I should ever see him again. No! Do
what I told you. Carry your mind back to Netherwoods. One night you let
Francine de Sor frighten you. You ran away from her into the garden.
Keep quiet! At your age, must I set you an example of self-control?

"I want to know, Miss Emily, where Francine de Sor is now?"

"She is at the house in the country, which I have left."

"Where does she go next, if you please? Back to Miss Ladd?"

"I suppose so. What interest have you in knowing where she goes next?"

"I won't interrupt you, miss. It's true that I ran away into the garden.
I can guess who followed me. How did she find her way to me and Mr.
Morris, in the dark?"

"The smell of tobacco guided her--she knew who smoked--she had seen him
talking to you, on that very day--she followed the scent--she heard what
you two said to each other--and she has repeated it to me. Oh, my old
friend, the malice of a reven