"I WENT first to Mannheim, Lady Janet, as I told you I should inmy letter, and I heard all that the consul and the hospitaldoctors could tell me. No new fact of the slightest importanceturned up. I got my directions for finding the German surgeon,and I set forth to try what I could make next of the man whoperformed the operation. On the question of his patient'sidentity he had (as a perfect stranger to her) nothing to tellme. On the question of her mental condition, however, he made avery important statement. He owned to me that he had operated onanother person injured by a shell-wound on the head at the battleof Solferino, and that the patient (recovering also in this case)recovered--mad. That is a remarkable admission; don't you thinkso?"

Lady Janet's temper had hardly been allowed time enough tosubside to its customary level.

"Very remarkable, I dare say," she answered, "to people who feelany doubt of this pitiable lady of yours being mad. I feel nodoubt--and, thus far, I find your account of yourself, Julian,tiresome in the extreme. Go on to the end. Did you lay your handon Mercy Merrick?"

"No."

"Did you hear anything of her?"

"Nothing. Difficulties beset me on every side. The Frenchambulance had shared in the disasters of France--it was brokenup. The wounded Frenchmen were prisoners somewhere in Germany,nobody knew where. The French surgeon had been killed in action.His assistants were scattered--most likely in hiding. I began todespair of making any discovery, when accident threw in my waytwo Prussian soldiers who had been in the French cottage. Theyconfirmed what the German surgeon told the consul, and whatHorace himself told _me_--namely, that no nurse in a black dresswas to be seen in the place. If there had been such a person, shewould certainly (the Prussians inform me) have been found inattendance on the injured Frenchmen. The cross of the GenevaConvention would have been amply sufficient to protect her: nowoman wearing that badge of honor would have disgraced herself byabandoning the wounded men before the Germans entered the place."

"In short, "interposed Lady Janet, "there is no such person asMercy Merrick."

"I can draw no other conclusion, "said Julian, "unless theEnglish doctor's idea is the right one. After hearing what I havejust told you, he thinks the woman herself is Mercy Merrick."

Lady Janet held up her hand as a sign that she had an objectionto make here.

"You and the doctor seem to have settled everything to yourentire satisfaction on both sides," she said. "But there is onedifficulty that you have neither of you accounted for yet."

"What is it, aunt?"

"You talk glibly enough, Julian, about this woman's mad assertionthat Grace is the missing nurse, and that she is Grace. But youhave not explained yet how the idea first got into her head; and,more than that, how it is that she is acquainted with my name andaddress, and perfectly familiar with Grace's papers and Grace'saffairs. These things are a puzzle to a person of my averageintelligence. Can your clever friend, the doctor, account forthem?"

"Shall I tell you what he said when I saw him this morning?"

"Will it take long?"

"It will take about a minute."

"You agreeably surprise me. Go on."

"You want to know how she gained her knowledge of your name andof Miss Roseberry's affairs," Julian resumed. "The doctor says inone of two ways. Either Miss Roseberry must have spoken of youand of her own affairs while she and the stranger were togetherin the French cottage, or the stranger must have obtained accessprivately to Miss Roseberry's papers. Do you agree so far?"

Lady Janet began to feel interested for the first time.

"Perfectly," she said. "I have no doubt Grace rashly talked ofmatters which an older and wiser person would have kept toherself."

"Very good. Do you also agree that the last idea in the woman'smind when she was struck by the shell might have been (quiteprobably) the idea of Miss Roseberry's identity and MissRoseberry's affairs? You think it likely enough? Well, whathappens after that? The wounded woman is brought to life by anoperation, and she becomes delirious in the hospital at Mannheim.During her delirium the idea of Miss Roseberry's identityferments in her brain, and assumes its present perverted form. Inthat form it still remains. As a necessary consequence, shepersists in reversing the two identities. She says she is MissRoseberry, and declares Miss Roseberry to be Mercy Merrick. Thereis the doctor 's explanation. What do you think of it?"

"Very ingenious, I dare say. The doctor doesn't quite satisfy me,however, for all that. I think--"

What Lady Janet thought was not destined to be expressed. Shesuddenly checked herself, and held up her hand for the secondtime.

"Another objection?" inquired Julian.

"Hold your tongue!" cried the old lady. "If you say a word more Ishall lose it again."

"Lose what, aunt?"

"What I wanted to say to you ages ago. I have got it backagain--it begins with a question. (No more of the doctor--I havehad enough of him!) Where is she--_your_ pitiable lady, _my_crazy wretch--where is she now? Still in London?"

"Yes."

"And still at large?"

"Still with the landlady, at her lodgings."

"Very well. Now answer me this! What is to prevent her frommaking another attempt to force her way (or steal her way) intomy house? How am I to protect Grace, how am I to protect myself,if she comes here again?"

"Is that really what you wished to speak to me about?"

"That, and nothing else."

They were both too deeply interested in the subject of theirconversation to look toward the conservatory, and to notice theappearance at that moment of a distant gentleman among the plantsand flowers, who had made his way in from the garden outside.Advancing noiselessly on the soft Indian matting, the gentlemanere long revealed himself under the form and features of HoraceHolmcroft. Before entering the dining-room he paused, fixing hiseyes inquisitively on the back of Lady Janet's visitor--the backbeing all that he could see in the position he then occupied.After a pause of an instant the visitor spoke, and furtheruncertainty was at once at an end. Horace, nevertheless, made nomovement to enter the room. He had his own jealous distrust ofwhat Julian might be tempted to say at a private interview withhis aunt; and he waited a little longer on the chance that hisdoubts might be verified.

"Neither you nor Miss Roseberry need any protection from the poordeluded creature," Julian went on. "I have gained great influenceover her--and I have satisfied her that it is useless to presentherself here again."

"I beg your pardon," interposed Horace, speaking from theconservatory door. "You have done nothing of the sort."

(He had heard enough to satisfy him that the talk was not takingthe direction which his Suspicions had anticipated. And, as anadditional incentive to show himself, a happy chance had nowoffered him the opportunity of putting Julian in the wrong.)

"Good heavens, Horace!" exclaimed Lady Janet. "Where did you comefrom? And what do you mean?"

"I heard at the lodge that your ladyship and Grace had returnedlast night. And I came in at once without troubling the servants,by the shortest way." He turned to Julian next. "The woman youwere speaking of just now," he proceeded, "has been here againalready--in Lady Janet's absence."

Lady Janet immediately looked at her nephew. Julian reassured herby a gesture.

"Impossible," he said. "There must be some mistake."

"There is no mistake," Horace rejoined. "I am repeating what Ihave just heard from the lodge-keeper himself. He hesitated tomention it to Lady Janet for fear of alarming her. Only threedays since this person had the audacity to ask him for herladyship's address at the sea-side. Of course he refused to giveit."

"You hear that, Julian?" said Lady Janet.

No signs of anger or mortification escaped Julian. The expressionin his face at that moment was an expression of sincere distress.

"Pray don't alarm yourself," he said to his aunt, in his quietesttones. "If she attempts to annoy you or Miss Roseberry again, Ihave it in my power to stop her instantly."

"How?" asked Lady Janet.

"How, indeed!" echoed Horace. "If we give her in charge to thepolice, we shall become the subject of a public scandal."

"I have managed to avoid all danger of scandal," Julian answered;the expression of distress in his face becoming more and moremarked while he spoke. "Before I called here to-day I had aprivate consultation with the magistrate of the district, and Ihave made certain arrangements at the police station close by. Onreceipt of my card, an experienced man, in plain clothes, willpresent himself at any address that I indicate, and will take herquietly away. The magistrate will hear the charge in his privateroom, and will examine the evidence which I can produce, showingthat she is not accountable for her actions. The proper medicalofficer will report officially on the case, and the law willplace her under the necessary restraint."

Lady Janet and Horace looked at each other in amazement. Julianwas, in their opinion, the last man on earth to take thecourse--at once sensible and severe--which Julian had actuallyadopted. Lady Janet insisted on an explanation.

"Why do I hear of this now for the first time?" she asked. "Whydid you not tell me you had taken these precautions before?"

Julian answered frankly and sadly.

"Because I hoped, aunt, that there would be no necessity forproceeding to extremities. You now force me to acknowledge thatthe lawyer and the doctor (both of whom I have seen this morning)think, as you do, that she is not to be trusted. It was at theirsuggestion entirely that I went to the magistrate. They put it tome whether the result of my inquiries abroad--unsatisfactory asit may have been in other respects--did not strengthen theconclusion that the poor woman's mind is deranged. I feltcompelled in common honesty to admit that it was so. Having ownedthis, I was bound to take such precautions as the lawyer and thedoctor thought necessary. I have done my duty--sorely against myown will. It is weak of me, I dare say; but I can _not_ bear thethought of treating this afflicted creature harshly. Her delusionis so hopeless! her situation is such a pitiable one!"

His voice faltered. He turned away abruptly and took up his hat.Lady Janet followed him, and spoke to him at the door. Horacesmiled satirically, and went to warm himself at the fire.

"Are you going away, Julian?"

"I am only going to the lodge-keeper. I want to give him a wordof warning in case of his seeing her again."

"You will come back here?" (Lady Janet lowered her voice to awhisper.) "There is really a reason, Julian, for your not leavingthe house now."

"I promise not to go away, aunt, until I have provided for yoursecurity. If you, or your adopted daughter, are alarmed byanother intrusion, I give you my word of honor my card shall goto the police station, however painfully I may feel it myself."(He, too, lowered his voice at the next words ) "In the meantime,remember what I confessed to you while we were alone. For mysake, let me see as little of Miss Roseberry as possible. Shall Ifind you in this room when I come back?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

He laid a strong emphasis, of look as well as of tone, on thatone word. Lady Janet understood what the emphasis meant.

"Are you really," she whispered, "as much in love with Grace asthat?"

Julian laid one hand on his aunt's arm, and pointed with theother to Horace--standing with his back to them, warming his feeton the fender.

"Well?" said Lady Janet.

"Well," said Julian, with a smile on his lip and a tear in hiseye, "I never envied any man as I envy _him!_"

With those words he left the room.