Those words blurted out by Lucy in her grief, seemed to have killed Nina too, for a moment. She stood still an instant like one transfixed, her form and face rigid and statue-like, her white features looking marble-like, and her eyes wild and wide with horror. Presently one single word, uttered in tones of deepest dismay and wonder, fell from her blanched lips: “I!” “Yes, you, Miss Nina,” Lucy reiterated. “She made them put it down upon a paper that you had stole into her room and killed her and then run away!” “My God!” the poor girl uttered, in a voice of horror, and then her voice failed her. She reeled dizzily a moment, then dropped heavily, like one dead, to the floor. CHAPTER XXX. A GHOSTLY LAUGH. Miss Drusilla was so angry with Lucy for blurting out the truth to Nina that she drove her out of the room. “You have killed the poor child with your long tongue!” she exclaimed. Lucy sobbed and protested that she had not wished to hurt her darling Miss Nina, but Miss Strangemore sent her out with the others, and followed them a minute after with a grave, portentous face. “Mind,” she said, shaking her long, slim finger at the staring frightened group, “not a word of what has happened outside this house! Listen to me, all of you women, and Jack there, too. I do not want any of you to open your lips to any one on the subject of Mrs. Strangemore’s return. No one outside this house must know that your young mistress is alive and that she has come back to Selwyn Heights. Her presence here must be kept perfectly secret. I know that this silence will be hard upon you, for women have long tongues, but it is necessary to the safety of your mistress that you keep her secret.” “I’d have my right arm cut off before I’d tell,” exclaimed Jack the boy of all work, loyally, for he worshiped the beautiful young mistress who was always kind and pleasant to him. “And I, and I”--came the quick response from all, and though Miss Strangemore had small faith in humanity in general she believed in the promises of these simple, humble servants. She knew that each one worshiped their gentle, indulgent, young mistress. “Very well,” she said, “I am glad to see that you are all disposed to obey orders, and if you all keep your word I will see that you each receive a nice present for doing your duty. Now go back to your beds and don’t stand gaping in the halls, gossiping, and looking for Mrs. St. Alban’s ghost. She does not walk at all. It was only Nina’s and Kitty’s fancy. Dead people don’t come back to earth, for if they get to heaven they don’t want to return, and if the devil gets ’em he won’t let ’em, and I am pretty sure he got Sibyl St. Alban!” And leaving her startled hearers, shivering and gaping in a huddled-together group, the stern female returned to the room where she had left Kitty applying restoratives to her mistress.