"There shall be--there shall be!" she exclaimed. "Oh, how I thank you! But I will not wait till to-morrow. No--the sooner the blow is struck, the sooner my sufferings will be over. Your father is engaged out this evening. He will not be home till eleven or twelve. At ten I will tell you how I have decided--perhaps by that time I may have commenced my confession. It is just--I see how just it is--that your father shall not remain another night in ignorance." "As you please," I said; "at ten to-night. Where shall I see you?" "Here," she replied. "I shall not be able to come down stairs. My strength is quite, quite gone." So it was decided, and I left her. I did not see my father during the day, and at ten o'clock I presented myself at her door, and knocked. There was no answer, and observing that the door was partly open I gently pushed it, and entered the room. My father's wife was sitting with her back to me, reading. As she did not appear to be aware of my presence, I called to her. She started to her feet, and turned to me. Then I saw, to my surprise, that her hair was hanging down, that her slippered feet were bare, and that she wore a loose dressing gown. "My God!" she screamed. "Why do you come to my room at such an hour in this unexpected manner?" And as she spoke she pulled the bell violently. Failing to understand the meaning of her words, I stammered something about an appointment, at which she laughed, then burst into tears, crying, "Spare me, oh spare me, and your father from the shame! Confess that you have spoken under the influence of a horrible dream!" What other words she uttered I do not clearly remember; they referred vaguely to the proposition I had made to her, and in the midst of a passionate speech her maid entered the room. She ran to the maid, exclaiming, "Thank God you have come!" And then to me, "Leave the room instantly, and never let me look upon your face again! From my lips, this very night, shall your father hear an account of all that has passed between you and me!" The maid stood between me and her mistress, and I deemed it prudent to take my departure. I passed a sleepless night, thinking of the inexplicable conduct of this woman and of the shock the discovery of her infamy would be to my father. I longed to be with him to console him and comfort him, and I waited impatiently for daylight. At eight o'clock in the morning I jumped from bed, glad that the weary night was over, and as I began to dress, I heard a tap at the door. I asked who was there, and was answered by a servant, who said that my father desired me to go to him in his study the moment I awoke. I sent word that I would come immediately, and dressing hastily I went to his room. He was standing, with a sterner look upon his face than I had ever seen. He was pale and haggard, and it was evident that his night had been as sleepless as mine. I was advancing to him with a feeling of pity and sympathy, when he said,