"'I should have liked to give that young hussey in charge,' he said in a loud voice as he passed the half-open door, evidently arguing with some milder-tempered victim; 'but, as you say, she's little more than a child, and no magistrate would punish her.' "I breathed more freely when I heard the street door bang behind this gentleman and the policemen. "'They're all gone except ourselves,' said Gerald. 'The gifted German and his wife have shown us a clean pair of heels, and there's only an old charwoman in the basement. She tells me your young friend there came from the country--somewhere in Sussex--and always behaved herself very nicely. The old woman seems fond of her.' "'Yes, she was always kind to me,' said the girl. "'Was she? Well, I hope she'll be kind to you now you're left high and dry,' said Gerald. 'These people won't come back any more, I take it. They travel in light marching order--a grubby old carpet bag, and a brush and comb which would account for the lady's tangled head. They won't come back to fetch _those_, at the risk of being had up for obtaining money upon false pretences. And what's to become of you, I wonder?'--to the girl. 'Have you any money?' "'No, sir.' "'Any friends in London?' "'No.' "'Any friends in the country--in the place you left?' "'Not now. No one would be kind to me now. There was a kind lady who wanted to apprentice me to her dressmaker when my father died, and I was left quite alone; but I hated the idea of dressmaking; and one night there was a spiritualistic _séance_ at the school-house, and I went, because I had heard of messages from the dead, and I thought if it were possible for the dead to speak to the living, my father would not leave me without one word of consolation. We loved each other so dearly; we were all the world to each other; and people said the dead had spoken--had sent messages of love and comfort. So I went to the dark _séance_, and I asked them to call my father's spirit; and there was a message rapped out, and I believed that it was from him; and next day I met Madame Kaltardern in the street, and I asked her if the messages were really true; and she said they were true, and she spoke very kindly to me, and asked me if I would like to be a medium, and said she was sure I was gifted--I could be a clairvoyant if I liked--she could see from the shape of my eyes that I had the power, and it would be a great pity for me not to use it. She said it was a glorious life to be in constant communion with great spirits.' "'And you thought you would like it better than dressmaking?' said Mrs. Ravenshaw, sympathetically. "'It was of my father I thought. He had been dead such a short time. Sometimes I could hardly believe that he was dead. When I sat alone in the firelight, I used to fancy he was in the room with me; I used to speak to him, and beg him to answer me.' "'And were there any raps then?' asked the practical Ravenshaw.