in her cap, "those were the very words she used: 'To think that crime
should come into our family! the proudest one in the land!' And she
called him by his first name, and asked him how he could do it."

"And what did Mr. Blake say?" returned I, a little taken back myself at
this result of my efforts with Fanny.

"O, I did'nt wait to hear. I did'nt wait for anything. If folks was
going to talk about such things as that, I thought I had better be
anywhere than listening at the keyhole. I went right up stairs I can
tell you."

"And whom have you told of what you heard in the half dozen hours that
have gone by?"

"Nobody; how could you think so mean of me when I promised, and--"

It is not necessary to go any further into this portion of the
interview.

The Countess De Mirac possessed to its fullest extent the present fine
lady's taste for bric-a-brac. So much I had learned in my inquiries
concerning her. Remembering this, I took the bold resolution of
profiting by this weakness of hers to gain admission to her presence,
she being the only one sharing Mr. Blake's mysterious secret.
Borrowing a valuable antique from a friend of mine at that time in the
business, I made my appearance the very next day at her apartments,
and sending in an urgent request to see Madame, by the trim negress
who answered my summons, waited in some doubt for her reply.