She stopped as abruptly as she had begun. This style of address from a
housekeeper seemed to Edith to be altogether too familiar, and she
resented it deeply. Besides, the identification of herself with Wiggins
put Mrs. Dunbar in an odious position in Edith's eyes.

"Mr. Wiggins's plans are of no consequence to me whatever," said she,
coldly.

"They are; they are of immense importance," cried Mrs. Dunbar.

Edith looked at her for a few moments with a cold stare of wonder, for
this volunteered advice seemed something like insolence, coming thus
from a subordinate. But she contented herself with answering in a quiet
tone:

"You are mistaken. Nothing is of importance to me but my liberty. It
will be very dangerous to deprive me of that. My friends will never
allow it. In Wiggins this attempt to put me under restraint is nothing
less than desperation. Think yourself how frantic he must be to hope to
be able to confine me here, when I have friends outside who will move
heaven and earth to come to me."

At this a look of uneasiness came over Mrs. Dunbar's face. It seemed to
Edith that this hint at friends without was the only thing that in any
way affected either of her jailers.

"The punishment for such a crime as unlawful imprisonment," continued
Edith, "is a severe one. If Wiggins has ever committed any crimes
before, this will only aggravate his guilt, and make his punishment the