“You will forgive him, won’t you, miss?” she said pitifully.

“What do you want me to forgive him for, Amy?” asked Hester, suppressing her tears.

“I don’t know, miss. You seemed angry with him. I don’t know what to make of it. Sometimes I feel certain it must have been his illness coming on that made him weak in his head and talk foolishness. Sometimes I wonder whether he has really been doing anything wrong.”

“He must have been doing something wrong. Otherwise, how should you be here, Amy?” said Hester with hasty judgment.

“He never told me, miss, or of course I would have done what I could to prevent it,” answered Amy, bewildered. “We were so happy, miss, till then! And we’ve never had a moment’s peace since! That’s why we came here—to be where nobody would find us. I wonder how he came to know the place!”

“Then do you not know where you are, Amy?”

“No, miss, not in the least. I only know where to buy the things we need. He has not been out once since we came.”

“You are in our house, Amy. What will my father say! How long have you—have you been—”

Something in her heart or her throat prevented Hester from finishing the sentence.

“How long have I been married to him, miss? You surely know that as well as I do, miss!”

“My poor Amy! Did he make you believe we knew about it?”

Amy gave a little cry.

“Alas!” said Hester, “I fear he has been more wicked than we know! But, Amy, he has done something else very wrong.”

Amy covered her face with her apron, through which Hester could see her soundless sobs.

“I have been doing what I could to find him,” continued Hester, “and here he was close to me all the time! But it adds greatly to my misery to find you with him, Amy!”

“Indeed, miss, how was I to suspect he was not telling me the truth? I loved him too much for that! I told him I would not marry him unless he had his father’s permission. And he pretended he had got it, and read me such a beautiful letter from his mother! Oh, miss, it breaks my heart to think of it!”

Suddenly a new fear came upon Hester—had he also deceived the poor girl with a pretended marriage? What her father would say to a marriage was hard to think. What he would say to a deception, she knew!

Such thoughts passed swiftly through her mind as she stood half turned from Amy, looking down the steep stair that sank like a precipice before her. She heard nothing, but Amy started and turned to the door. She was following her when Amy said, in a voice almost of terror, “Please, miss, do not let him see you till I have told him you are here.”

“Certainly not,” answered Hester, and drew back, “—if you think the sight of me would hurt him!”