"I grant the mental confusion," said he; "but why should she confuse those two names in preference to all others?" And, with quiet persistence, he remarked again: "She may be recalling some old fact of years ago. Was there never a time, even while you lived here together, when she could have received some confidence from Mrs. Clemmens----" "Mary Ann, Mary Ann!" came in querulous accents from the other room, "I wish you had not told me; Emily would be a better one to know your secret." It was a startling interruption to come just at that moment The two surprised listeners glanced toward each other, and Miss Firman colored. "That sounds as if your surmise was true," she dryly observed. "Let us make an experiment," said he, and motioned her to re-enter her mother's room, which she did with a precipitation that showed her composure had been sorely shaken by these unexpected occurrences. He followed her without ceremony. The old lady lay as before in a condition between sleeping and waking, and did not move as they came in. Mr. Gryce at once withdrew out of sight, and, with finger on his lip, put himself in the attitude of waiting. Miss Firman, surprised, and possibly curious, took her stand at the foot of the bed. A few minutes passed thus, during which a strange dreariness seemed to settle upon the room; then the old lady spoke again, this time repeating the words he had first heard, but in a tone which betrayed an increased perplexity. "_Was_ it Clemmens or _was_ it Orcutt? I wish somebody would tell me." Instantly Mr. Gryce, with his soft tread, drew near to the old lady's side, and, leaning over her, murmured gently: "I think it was Orcutt." Instantly the old lady breathed a deep sigh and moved. "Then her name was Mrs. Orcutt," said she, "and I thought you always called her Clemmens." Miss Firman, recoiling, stared at Mr. Gryce, on whose cheek a faint spot of red had appeared--a most unusual token of emotion with him. "Did she say it was Mrs. Orcutt," he pursued, in the even tones he had before used. "She said----" But here the old lady opened her eyes, and, seeing her daughter standing at the foot of her bed, turned away with a peevish air, and restlessly pushed her hand under the pillow. Mr. Gryce at once bent nearer. "She said----" he suggested, with careful gentleness. But the old lady made no answer. Her hand seemed to have touched some object for which she was seeking, and she was evidently oblivious to all else. Miss Firman came around and touched Mr. Gryce on the shoulder. "It is useless," said she; "she is awake now, and you won't hear any thing more; come!" And she drew the reluctant detective back again into the other room. "What does it all mean?" she asked, sinking into a chair. Mr. Gryce did not answer. He had a question of his own to put. "Why did your mother put her hand under her pillow?" he asked. "I don't know, unless it was to see if her big envelope was there." "Her big envelope?"