about her face and on her night robe. At first, in her confused, feverish
impressions, the poor waif was dumb with superstitious awe, and trembled
between joy and fear. Could her mother have come to comfort her in her sore
extremity?

"Put yer head on me ould withered breast," said the apparition, "an' ye'll
know a mither's heart niver changes. I"ve been a-lookin' for ye and expectin'
ye these long, weary years, They said ye wouldn't come back--that I'd niver
find ye ag'in; but I knowed I wud, and here ye are in me arms, me darlint.
Don't draw away from yer ould mither. Don't ye be afeard or 'shamed loike.
No matter what ye've done or where ye've been or who ye've been with, a
mither's heart welcomes ye back jist the same as when yes were a babby an'
slept on me breast. A mither's heart ud quench the fires o' hell. I'd go
inter the burnin' flames o' the pit an' bear ye out in me arms. So niver
fear. Now that I've found ye, ye're safe. Ye'll not run away from me ag'in.
I'll hould ye--I'll hould ye back," and the poor creature clasped Alida with
such conclusive energy that she screamed from pain and terror.

"Ye shall not get away from me, ye shall not go back to evil ways. Whist,
whist! Be aisy and let me plead wid ye. Think how many long, weary years
I've looked for ye and waited for ye. Niver have I slept night or day in me
watchin'. Ye may be so stained an' lost an' ruined that the whole wourld will
scorn ye, yet not yer mither, not yer ould mither. Oh, Nora, Nora, why did ye
rin away from me? Wasn't I koind? No, no; ye cannot lave me ag'in," and she
threw herself on Alida, whose disordered mind was tortured by what she heard.
Whether or not it was a more terrible dream than had yet oppressed her, she
scarcely knew, but in the excess of her nervous horror she sent out a cry that
echoed in every part of the large building. Two old women rushed in and
dragged Alida's persecutor screaming away.