\"PartTwo；AutobiographicalStyle，\"heannounced，withawaveofhishand。\"IhoppedalongtheGuests’Corridor，andturnedintotheSouthCorridor。Istoppedatthelittlestudy。Dooropen；
nobodythere。Icrossedthestudytotheseconddoor，communicatingwithMrs。Macallan’sbedchamber。Locked！IlookedthroughthekeyholeWastheresomethinghangingoverit，ontheotherside？Ican’tsay——Ionlyknowtherewasnothingtobeseenbutblankdarkness。Ilistened。Nothingtobeheard。Sameblankdarkness，sameabsolutesilence，insidethelockedseconddoorofMrs。Eustace’sroom，openingonthecorridor。Iwentontoherhusband’sbedchamber。IhadtheworstpossibleopinionofMrs。
Beauly——IshouldnothavebeenintheleastsurprisedifIhadcaughtherinEustace’sroom。Ilookedthroughthekeyhole。Inthiscase，thekeywasoutofit——orwasturnedtherightwayforme——Idon’tknowwhich。Eustace’sbedwasoppositethedoor。Nodiscovery。Icouldseehim，allbyhimself，innocentlyasleep。I
reflectedalittle。Thebackstaircasewasattheendofthecorridor，beyondme。Isliddownthestairs，andlookedaboutmeonthelowerfloor，bythelightofthenight—lamp。Doorsallfastlockedandkeysoutside，sothatIcouldtrythemmyself。
Housedoorbarredandbolted。Doorleadingintotheservants’
officesbarredandbolted。Igotbacktomyownroom，andthoughtitoutquietly。Wherecouldshebe？Certainly_in_thehouse，somewhere。Where？Ihadmadesureoftheotherrooms；thefieldofsearchwasexhausted。ShecouldonlybeinMrs。Macallan’sroom——the_one_roomwhichhadbaffledmyinvestigations；the_only_roomwhichhadnotlentitselftoexamination。Addtothisthatthekeyofthedoorinthestudy，communicatingwithMrs。
Macallan’sroom，wasstatedinthenurse’sevidencetobemissing；anddon’tforgetthatthedearestobjectofMrs。
Beauly’slife（ontheshowingofherownletter，readattheTrial）wastobeEustaceMacallan’shappywife。Putthesethingstogetherinyourownmind，andyouwillknowwhatmythoughtswere，asIsatwaitingforeventsinmychair，withoutmytellingyou。Towardfouro’clock，strongasIam，fatiguegotthebetterofme。Ifellasleep。Notforlong。Iawokewithastartandlookedatmywatch。Twenty—fiveminutespastfour。HadshegotbacktoherroomwhileIwasasleep？Ihoppedtoherdoorandlistened。Notasound。Isoftlyopenedthedoor。Theroomwasempty。Iwentbackagaintomyownroomtowaitandwatch。Itwashardworktokeepmyeyesopen。Idrewupthewindowtoletthecoolairrefreshme；Ifoughthardwithexhaustednature，andexhaustednaturewon。Ifellasleepagain。ThistimeitwaseightinthemorningwhenIawoke。Ihavegoodishears，asyoumayhavenoticed。Iheardwomen’svoicestalkingundermyopenwindow。I
peepedout。Mrs。Beaulyandhermaidincloseconfabulation！Mrs。
Beaulyandhermaidlookingguiltilyaboutthemtomakesurethattheywereneitherseennorheard！’Takecare，ma’am，’Iheardthemaidsay；’thathorriddeformedmonsterisasslyasafox。Mindhedoesn’tdiscoveryou。’Mrs。Beaulyanswered，’Yougofirst，andlookoutinfront；Iwillfollowyou，andmakesurethereisnobodybehindus。’Withthattheydisappearedaroundthecornerofthehouse。InfiveminutesmoreIheardthedoorofMrs。
Beauly’sroomsoftlyopenedandclosedagain。Threehourslaterthenursemetherinthecorridor，innocentlyonherwaytomakeinquiriesatMrs。EustaceMacallan’sdoor。Whatdoyouthinkofthesecircumstances？WhatdoyouthinkofMrs。Beaulyandhermaidhavingsomethingtosaytoeachother，whichtheydidn’tdaresayinthehouse——forfearofmybeingbehindsomedoorlisteningtothem？WhatdoyouthinkofthesediscoveriesofminebeingmadeontheverymorningwhenMrs。Eustacewastakenill——ontheverydaywhenshediedbyapoisoner’shand？Doyouseeyourwaytotheguiltyperson？AndhasmadMiserrimusDexterbeenofsomeassistancetoyou，sofar？\"
Iwastooviolentlyexcitedtoanswerhim。Thewaytothevindicationofmyhusband’sinnocencewasopenedtomeatlast！
\"Whereisshe？\"Icried。\"Andwhereisthatservantwhoisinherconfidence？\"
\"Ican’ttellyou，\"hesaid。\"Idon’tknow。\"
\"WherecanIinquire？Canyoutellmethat？\"
Heconsideredalittle。\"Thereisonemanwhomustknowwheresheis——orwhocouldfinditoutforyou，\"hesaid。
\"Whoishe？Whatishisname？\"
\"HeisafriendofEustace’s。MajorFitz—David。\"
\"Iknowhim！Iamgoingtodinewithhimnextweek。Hehasaskedyoutodinetoo。\"
MiserrimusDexterlaughedcontemptuously。
\"MajorFitz—Davidmaydoverywellfortheladies，\"hesaid。\"Theladiescantreathimasaspeciesofelderlyhumanlap—dog。Idontdinewithlap—dogs；Ihavesaid，No。Yougo。Heorsomeofhisladiesmaybeofusetoyou。Whoaretheguests？Didhetellyou？\"
\"TherewasaFrenchladywhosenameIforget，\"Isaid，\"andLadyClarinda——\"
\"Thatwilldo！SheisafriendofMrs。Beauly’s。SheissuretoknowwhereMrs。Beaulyis。Cometomethemomentyouhavegotyourinformation。Findoutifthemaidiswithher：sheistheeasiesttodealwithofthetwo。Onlymakethemaidopenherlips，andwehavegotMrs。Beauly。Wecrushher，\"hecried，bringinghishanddownlikelightningonthelastlanguidflyoftheseason，crawlingoverthearmofhischair——\"wecrushherasIcrushthisfly。Stop！Aquestion——amostimportantquestionindealingwiththemaid。Haveyougotanymoney？\"
\"Plentyofmoney。\"
Hesnappedhisfingersjoyously。
\"Themaidisours！\"hecried。\"It’samatterofpounds，shillings，andpencewiththemaid。Wait！Anotherquestion。Aboutyourname？IfyouapproachMrs。BeaulyinyourowncharacterasEustace’swife，youapproachherasthewomanwhohastakenherplace——youmakeamortalenemyofheratstarting。Bewareofthat！\"
MyjealousyofMrs。Beauly，smolderinginmeallthroughtheinterview，burstintoflamesatthosewords。Icouldresistitnolonger——Iwasobligedtoaskhimifmyhusbandhadeverlovedher。
\"Tellmethetruth，\"Isaid。\"DidEustacereally——？\"
Heburstoutlaughingmaliciously，hepenetratedmyjealousy，andguessedmyquestionalmostbeforeithadpassedmylips。
\"Yes，\"hesaid，\"Eustacedidreallyloveher——andnomistakeaboutit。Shehadeveryreasontobelieve（beforetheTrial）thatthewife’sdeathwouldputherinthewife’splace。ButtheTrialmadeanothermanofEustace。Mrs。Beaulyhadbeenawitnessofthepublicdegradationofhim。ThatwasenoughtopreventhismarryingMrs。Beauly。Hebrokeoffwithheratonceandforever——forthesamereasonpreciselywhichhasledhimtoseparatehimselffromyou。Existencewithawomanwhoknewthathehadbeentriedforhislifeasamurdererwasanexistencethathewasnotheroenoughtoface。Youwantedthetruth。Thereitis！YouhaveneedtobecautiousofMrs。Beauly——youhavenoneedtobejealousofher。Takethesafecourse。ArrangewiththeMajor，whenyoumeetLadyClarindaathisdinner，thatyoumeetherunderanassumedname。\"
\"Icangotothedinner，\"Isaid，\"underthenameinwhichEustacemarriedme。Icangoas’Mrs。Woodville。’\"
\"Theverything！\"heexclaimed。\"WhatwouldInotgivetobepresentwhenLadyClarindaintroducesyoutoMrs。Beauly！Thinkofthesituation。Awomanwithahideoussecrethiddeninherinmostsoul：andanotherwomanwhoknowsofit——anotherwomanwhoisbent，byfairmeansorfoul，ondraggingthatsecretintothelightofday。Whatastruggle！Whataplotforanovel！IaminafeverwhenIthinkofit。IambesidemyselfwhenIlookintothefuture，andseeMrs。Borgia—Beaulybroughttoherkneesatlast。
Don’tbealarmed！\"hecried，withthewildlightflashingoncemoreinhiseyes。\"Mybrainsarebeginningtoboilagaininmyhead。Imusttakerefugeinphysicalexercise。Imustblowoffthesteam，orIshallexplodeinmypinkjacketonthespot！\"
Theoldmadnessseizedonhimagain。Imadeforthedoor，tosecuremyretreatincaseofnecessity——andthenventuredtolookaroundathim。
Hewasoffonhisfuriouswheels——halfman，halfchair——flyinglikeawhirlwindtotheotherendoftheroom。Eventhisexercisewasnotviolentenoughforhiminhispresentmood。Inaninstanthewasdownonthefloor，poisedonhishands，andlookinginthedistancelikeamonstrousfrog。Hoppingdowntheroom，heoverthrew，oneafteranother，allthesmallerandlighterchairsashepassedthem；arrivedattheend，heturned，surveyedtheprostratechairs，encouragedhimselfwithascreamoftriumph，andleapedrapidlyoverchairafterchaironhishands——hislimblessbodynowthrownbackfromtheshoulders，andnowthrownforwardtokeepthebalance——inamanneratoncewonderfulandhorribletobehold。\"Dexter’sLeap—frog！\"hecried，cheerfully，perchinghimselfwithhisbirdlikelightnessonthelastoftheprostratechairswhenhehadreachedthefurtherendoftheroom。
\"I’mprettyactive，Mrs。Valeria，consideringI’macripple。LetusdrinktothehangingofMrs。BeaulyinanotherbottleofBurgundy！\"
Iseizeddesperatelyonthefirstexcusethatoccurredtomeforgettingawayfromhim。
\"Youforget，\"Isaid——\"ImustgoatoncetotheMajor。IfIdon’twarnhimintime，hemayspeakofmetoLadyClarindabythewrongname。\"
Ideasofhurryandmovementwerejusttheideastotakehisfancyinhispresentstate。HeblewfuriouslyonthewhistlethatsummonedArielfromthekitchenregions，anddancedupanddownonhishandsinthefullfrenzyofhisdelight。
\"Arielshallgetyouacab！\"hecried。\"DriveatagalloptotheMajor’s。Setthetrapforherwithoutlosingamoment。Oh，whatadayofdaysthishasbeen！Oh，whatarelieftogetridofmydreadfulsecret，andshareitwithYou！Iamsuffocatingwithhappiness——IamliketheSpiritoftheEarthinShelley’spoem。\"
Hebrokeoutwiththemagnificentlinesin\"PrometheusUnbound，\"
inwhichtheEarthfeelstheSpiritofLove，andburstsintospeech。\"’Thejoy，thetriumph，thedelight，themadness！theboundless，overflowing，burstinggladness！thevaporousexultationnottobeconfined！Ha！ha！theanimationofdelight，whichwrapsmelikeanatmosphereoflight，andbearsmeasacloudisbornebyitsownwind。’That’showIfeel，Valeria！——that’showIfeel！\"
Icrossedthethresholdwhilehewasstillspeaking。ThelastI
sawofhimhewaspouringoutthatgloriousfloodofwords——hisdeformedbody，poisedontheoverthrownchair，hisfaceliftedinrapturetosomefantasticheavenofhisownmaking。Islippedoutsoftlyintotheantechamber。EvenasIcrossedtheroom，hechangedoncemore。Iheardhisringingcry；Iheardthesoftthump—thumpofhishandsonthefloor。Hewasgoingdowntheroomagain，in\"Dexter’sLeap—frog，\"flyingovertheprostratechairs。
Inthehall，Arielwasonthewatchforme。
AsIapproachedher，Ihappenedtobeputtingonmygloves。Shestoppedme；and，takingmyrightarm，liftedmyhandtowardherface。Wasshegoingtokissit？ortobiteit？\"Neither。Shesmeltitlikeadog——anddroppeditagainwithahoarsechucklinglaugh。
\"Youdon’tsmellofhisperfumes，\"shesaid。\"You_haven’t_
touchedhisbeard。_Now_Ibelieveyou。Wantacab？\"
\"Thankyou。I’llwalktillImeetacab。\"
Shewasbentonbeingpolitetome——nowIhad_not_touchedhisbeard。
\"Isay！\"sheburstout，inherdeepestnotes。
\"Yes？\"
\"I’mgladIdidn’tupsetyouinthecanal。Therenow！\"
Shegavemeafriendlysmackontheshoulderwhichnearlyknockedmedown——relapsed，theinstantafter，intoherleadenstolidityoflookandmanner———andledthewayoutbythefrontdoor。I
heardherhoarsechucklinglaughasshelockedthegatebehindme。Mystarwasatlastintheascendant！InoneandthesamedayIhadfoundmywayintotheconfidenceofArielandAriel’smaster。
CHAPTERXXXI。
THEDEFENSEOFMRS。BEAULY。
THEdaysthatelapsedbeforeMajorFitz—David’sdinner—partywerepreciousdaystome。
MylonginterviewwithMiserrimusDexterhaddisturbedmefarmoreseriouslythanIsuspectedatthetime。ItwasnotuntilsomehoursafterIhadlefthimthatIreallybegantofeelhowmynerveshadbeentriedbyallthatIhadseenandheardduringmyvisitathishouse。Istartedattheslightestnoises；I
dreamedofdreadfulthings；Iwasreadytocrywithoutreasonatonemoment，andtoflyintoapassionwithoutreasonatanother。
AbsoluterestwaswhatIwanted，and（thankstomygoodBenjamin）
waswhatIgot。Thedearoldmancontrolledhisanxietiesonmyaccount，andsparedmethequestionswhichhisfatherlyinterestinmywelfaremadehimeagertoask。ItwastacitlyunderstoodbetweenusthatallconversationonthesubjectofmyvisittoMiserrimusDexter（ofwhich，itisneedlesstosay，hestronglydisapproved）shouldbedeferreduntilreposehadrestoredmyenergiesofbodyandmind。Isawnovisitors。Mrs。Macallancametothecottage，andMajorFitz—Davidcametothecottage——oneofthemtohearwhathadpassedbetweenMiserrimusDexterandmyself，theothertoamusemewiththelatestgossipabouttheguestsattheforthcomingdinner。Benjamintookitonhimselftomakemyapologies，andtosparemetheexertionofreceivingmyvisitors。Wehiredalittleopencarriage，andtooklongdrivesintheprettycountrylanesstillleftflourishingwithinafewmilesofthenorthernsuburbofLondon。Athomewesatandtalkedquietlyofoldtimes，orplayedatbackgammonanddominoes——andso，forafewhappydays，ledthepeacefulunadventurouslifewhichwasgoodforme。Whenthedayofthedinnerarrived，Ifeltrestoredtomycustomaryhealth。Iwasreadyagain，andeageragain，fortheintroductiontoLadyClarindaandthediscoveryofMrs。Beauly。
BenjaminlookedalittlesadlyatmyflushedfaceaswedrovetoMajorFitz—David’shouse。
\"Ah，mydear，\"hesaid，inhissimpleway，\"Iseeyouarewellagain！Youhavehadenoughofourquietlifealready。\"
Myrecollectionofeventsandpersons，ingeneral，atthedinner—party，issingularlyindistinct。
Irememberthatwewereverymerry，andaseasyandfamiliarwithoneanotherasifwehadbeenoldfriends。IrememberthatMadameMirliflorewasunapproachablysuperiortotheotherwomenpresent，intheperfectbeautyofherdress，andintheamplejusticewhichshedidtotheluxuriousdinnersetbeforeus。I
remembertheMajor’syoungprimadonna，moreround—eyed，moreoverdressed，moreshrillandstridentasthecoming\"QueenofSong，\"thanever。IremembertheMajorhimself，alwayskissingourhands，alwaysluringustoindulgeindaintydishesanddrinks，alwaysmakinglove，alwaysdetectingresemblancesbetweenus，always\"underthecharm，\"andneveronceoutofhischaracteraselderlyDonJuanfromthebeginningoftheeveningtotheend。
IrememberdearoldBenjamin，completelybewildered，shrinkingintocorners，blushingwhenhewaspersonallydrawnintotheconversation，frightenedatMadameMirliflore，bashfulwithLadyClarinda，submissivetotheMajor，sufferingunderthemusic，andfromthebottomofhishonestoldheartwishinghimselfhomeagain。Andthere，astothemembersofthatcheerfullittlegathering，mymemoryfindsitslimits——withoneexception。TheappearanceofLadyClarindaisaspresenttomeasifIhadmetheryesterday；andofthememorableconversationwhichwetwoheldtogetherprivately，towardthecloseoftheevening，itisnoexaggerationtosaythatIcanstillcalltomindalmosteveryword。
Iseeherdress，Ihearhervoiceagain，whileIwrite。
Shewasattired，Iremember，withthatextremeassumptionofsimplicitywhichalwaysdefeatsitsownendbyirresistiblysuggestingart。Sheworeplainwhitemuslin，overwhitesilk，withouttrimmingorornamentofanykind。Herrichbrownhair，dressedindefianceoftheprevailingfashion，wasthrownbackfromherforehead，andgatheredintoasimpleknotbehind——withoutadornmentofanysort。Alittlewhiteribbonencircledherneck，fastenedbytheonlyarticleofjewelrythatshewore——atinydiamondbrooch。Shewasunquestionablyhandsome；
butherbeautywasofthesomewhathardandangulartypewhichissooftenseeninEnglishwomenofherrace：thenoseandchintooprominentandtoofirmlyshaped；thewell—openedgrayeyesfullofspiritanddignity，butwantingintendernessandmobilityofexpression。Hermannerhadallthecharmwhichfinebreedingcanconfer——exquisitelypolite，easilycordial；showingthatperfectyetunobtrusiveconfidenceinherselfwhich（inEngland）seemstobethenaturaloutgrowthofpre—eminentsocialrank。Ifyouhadacceptedherforwhatshewas，onthesurface，youwouldhavesaid，Hereisthemodelofanoblewomanwhoisperfectlyfreefrompride。Andifyouhadtakenalibertywithher，onthestrengthofthatconviction，shewouldhavemadeyourememberittotheendofyourlife。
Wegotontogetheradmirably。Iwasintroducedas\"Mrs。
Woodville，\"bypreviousarrangementwiththeMajor——effectedthroughBenjamin。Beforethedinnerwasoverwehadpromisedtoexchangevisits。NothingbuttheopportunitywaswantingtoleadLadyClarindaintotalking，asIwantedhertotalk，ofMrs。
Beauly。
Lateintheeveningtheopportunitycame。
IhadtakenrefugefromtheterriblebravurasingingoftheMajor’sstridentprimadonnainthebackdrawing—room。AsIhadhopedandanticipated，afterawhileLadyClarinda（missingmefromthegrouparoundthepiano）cameinsearchofme。Sheseatedherselfbymyside，outofsightandoutofhearingofourfriendsinthefrontroom；and，tomyinfinitereliefanddelight，touchedonthesubjectofMiserrimusDexterofherownaccord。SomethingIhadsaidofhim，whenhisnamehadbeenaccidentallymentionedatdinner，remainedinhermemory，andledus，byperfectlynaturalgradations，intospeakingofMrs。
Beauly。\"Atlast，\"Ithoughttomyself，\"theMajor’slittledinnerwillbringmemyreward！\"
Andwhatarewarditwas，whenitcame！Myheartsinksinmeagain——asitsankonthatnever—to—be—forgottenevening——whileI
sitatmydeskthinkingofit。
\"SoDexterreallyspoketoyouofMrs。Beauly！\"exclaimedLadyClarinda。\"Youhavenoideahowyousurpriseme。\"
\"MayIaskwhy？\"
\"Hehatesher！ThelasttimeIsawhimhewouldn’tallowmetomentionhername。Itisoneofhisinnumerableoddities。Ifanysuchfeelingassympathyisapossiblefeelinginsuchanatureashis，heoughttolikeHelenaBeauly。SheisthemostcompletelyunconventionalpersonIknow。Whenshedoesbreakout，poordear，shesaysthingsanddoesthingswhicharealmostrecklessenoughtobeworthyofDexterhimself。Iwonderwhetheryouwouldlikeher？\"
\"Youhavekindlyaskedmetovisityou，LadyClarinda。PerhapsI
maymeetheratyourhouse？\"
\"Ihopeyouwillnotwaituntilthatislikelytohappen，\"shesaid。\"Helena’slastwhimistofancythatshehasgot——thegout，ofallthemaladiesintheworld！SheisawayatsomewonderfulbathsinHungaryorBohemia（Idon’trememberwhich）——andwhereshewillgo，orwhatshewilldonext，itisperfectlyimpossibletosay。——DearMrs。Woodville！istheheatofthefiretoomuchforyou？Youarelookingquitepale。\"
I_felt_thatIwaslookingpale。ThediscoveryofMrs。Beauly’sabsencefromEnglandwasashockforwhichIwasquiteunprepared。Foramomentitunnervedme。
\"Shallwegointotheotherroom？\"askedLadyClarinda。
Togointotheotherroomwouldbetodroptheconversation。I
wasdeterminednottoletthatcatastrophehappen。ItwasjustpossiblethatMrs。Beauly’smaidmighthavequittedherservice，ormighthavebeenleftbehindinEngland。MyinformationwouldnotbecompleteuntilIknewwhathadbecomeofthemaid。I
pushedmychairbackalittlefromthefire—place，andtookahand—screenfromatablenearme；itmightbemadeusefulinhidingmyface，ifanymoredisappointmentswereinstoreforme。
\"Thankyou，LadyClarinda；Iwasonlyalittletoonearthefire。
Ishalldoadmirablyhere。YousurprisemeaboutMrs。Beauly。
FromwhatMr。Dextersaidtome，Ihadimagined——\"
\"Oh，youmustnotbelieveanythingDextertellsyou！\"interposedLadyClarinda。\"Hedelightsinmystifyingpeople；andhepurposelymisledyou，Ihavenodoubt。IfallthatIhearistrue，_he_oughttoknowmoreofHelenaBeauly’sstrangefreaksandfanciesthanmostpeople。Heallbutdiscoveredherinoneofheradventures（downinScotland），whichremindsmeofthestoryinAuber’scharmingopera——whatisitcalled？Ishallforgetmyownnamenext！Imeantheoperainwhichthetwonunsslipoutoftheconvent，andgototheball。Listen！Howveryodd！Thatvulgargirlissingingthecastanetsonginthesecondactatthismoment。Major！whatoperaistheyoungladysingingfrom？\"
TheMajorwasscandalizedatthisinterruption。Hebustledintothebackroom——whispered，\"Hush！hush！mydearlady；the’DominoNoir’\"——andbustledbackagaintothepiano。
\"Ofcourse！\"saidLadyClarinda。\"Howstupidofme！The’DominoNoir。’Andhowstrangethatyoushouldforgetittoo！\"
Ihadremembereditperfectly；butIcouldnottrustmyselftospeak。If，asIbelieved，the\"adventure\"mentionedbyLadyClarindawasconnected，insomeway，withMrs。Beauly’smysteriousproceedingsonthemorningofthetwenty—firstofOctober，Iwasonthebrinkoftheverydiscoverywhichitwastheoneinterestofmylifetomake！Iheldthescreensoastohidemyface；andIsaid，inthesteadiestvoicethatIcouldcommandatthemoment，\"Praygoon！——praytellmewhattheadventurewas！\"
LadyClarindawasquiteflatteredbymyeagerdesiretohearthecomingnarrative。
\"Ihopemystorywillbeworthyoftheinterestwhichyouaresogoodastofeelinit，\"shesaid。\"IfyouonlyknewHelena——itis_so_likeher！Ihaveit，youmustknow，fromhermaid。ShehastakenawomanwhospeaksforeignlanguageswithhertoHungaryandshehasleftthemaidwithme。Aperfecttreasure！IshouldbeonlytoogladifIcouldkeepherinmyservice：shehasbutonedefect，anameIhate——Phoebe。Well！PhoebeandhermistresswerestayingataplacenearEdinburgh，called（Ithink）
Gleninch。ThehousebelongedtothatMr。Macallanwhowasafterwardtried——yourememberit，ofcourse？——forpoisoninghiswife。Adreadfulcase；butdon’tbealarmed——mystoryhasnothingtodowithit；mystoryhastodowithHelenaBeauly。Oneevening（whileshewasstayingatGleninch）shewasengagedtodinewithsomeEnglishfriendsvisitingEdinburgh。Thesamenight——alsoinEdinburgh——therewasamaskedball，givenbysomebodywhosenameIforget。Theball（almostanunparalleledeventinScotland！）
wasreportedtobenotatallareputableaffair。Allsortsofamusingpeopleweretobethere。Ladiesofdoubtfulvirtue，youknow，andgentlemenontheoutlyinglimitsofsociety，andsoon。
Helena’sfriendshadcontrivedtogetcards，andweregoing，inspiteoftheobjections——inthestrictestincognito，ofcourse，trustingtotheirmasks。AndHelenaherselfwasbentongoingwiththem，ifshecouldonlymanageitwithoutbeingdiscoveredatGleninch。Mr。Macallanwasoneofthestrait—lacedpeoplewhodisapprovedoftheball。Nolady，hesaid，couldshowherselfatsuchanentertainmentwithoutcompromisingherreputation。Whatstuff！Well，Helena，inoneofherwildestmoments，hitonawayofgoingtotheballwithoutdiscoverywhichwasreallyasingeniousasaplotinaFrenchplay。ShewenttothedinnerinthecarriagefromGleninch，havingsentPhoebetoEdinburghbeforeher。Itwasnotagranddinner——alittlefriendlygathering：noeveningdress。WhenthetimecameforgoingbacktoGleninch，whatdoyouthinkHelenadid？Shesenthermaidbackinthecarriage，insteadofherself！Phoebewasdressedinhermistress’scloakandbonnetandveil。Shewasinstructedtorunupstairsthemomentshegottothehouse，leavingonthehalltablealittlenoteofapology（writtenbyHelena，ofcourse！），pleadingfatigueasanexcusefornotsayinggood—nighttoherhost。Themistressandthemaidwereaboutthesameheight；andtheservantsnaturallyneverdiscoveredthetrick。Phoebegotuptohermistress’sroomsafelyenough。There，herinstructionsweretowaituntilthehousewasquietforthenight，andthentostealuptoherownroom。Whileshewaswaiting，thegirlfellasleep。Sheonlyawokeattwointhemorning，orlater。Itdidn’tmuchmatter，asshethought。Shestoleoutontiptoe，andclosedthedoorbehindher。Beforeshewasattheendofthecorridor，shefanciedsheheardsomething。Shewaiteduntilshewassafeontheupperstory，andthenshelookedoverthebanisters。TherewasDexter——solikehim！——hoppingaboutonhishands（didyoueverseeit？themostgrotesquelyhorribleexhibitionyoucanimagine！）——therewasDexter，hoppingabout，andlookingthroughkeyholes，evidentlyinsearchofthepersonwhohadleftherroomattwointhemorning；andnodoubttakingPhoebeforhermistress，seeingthatshehadforgottentotakehermistress’scloakoffhershoulders。Thenextmorning，early，HelenacamebackinahiredcarriagefromEdinburgh，withahatandmantleborrowedfromherEnglishfriends。Sheleftthecarriageintheroad，andgotintothehousebywayofthegarden——withoutbeingdiscovered，thistime，byDexterorbyanybody。Cleveranddaring，wasn’tit？And，asIsaidjustnow，quiteanewversionofthe’DominoNoir。’Youwillwonder，asIdid，howitwasthatDexterdidn’tmakemischiefinthemorning？Hewouldhavedoneitnodoubt。Butevenhewassilenced（asPhoebetoldme）bythedreadfuleventthathappenedinthehouseonthesameday。MydearMrs。Woodville！theheatofthisroomiscertainlytoomuchforyou，takemysmelling—bottle。Letmeopenthewindow。\"
Iwasjustabletoanswer，\"Praysaynothing！Letmeslipoutintotheopenair！\"