"This may be of service," she said, sweetly, placing the ruby-tinted bottle in Jessie's hand. "I found it very useful in reviving her." Jessie took the bottle, but set it down at once. Indeed, her hand shook so violently that it must otherwise have fallen. "Now, Miss Hyde, I do not see that our presence will be of further use," said the widow, gliding toward the door. I stepped back to avoid contact even with her garments. My heart was full of bitter loathing. I grew cold as she passed me, and answered her smile with a look that frightened it from her lips. We passed through Lottie's room, but I could not force myself to enter it till even her shadow had disappeared. CHAPTER XLVI. LOTTIE OWNS HERSELF BEATEN. When the woman was gone, I went in and spoke to Lottie, who had curled herself up in the window-seat, with her knees drawn up, and both hands locked over them. "Don't speak to me; don't anybody dare to speak to me!" she said, motioning me off with her head. "I ain't worth noticing. I'd give something to any decent person that'd whip me within an inch of my life, or bite me--I don't care which--so long as it hurt." "Lottie," I whispered, pressing my hand on her shoulder to enforce what I said, "do not speak a word of this till I have seen you. Come up to my room." "I won't. Nothing on earth shall take me out of her sight again. There'll be murder if I do." "Hush! Lottie, I do not understand all this." "But _I_ do; and I give up, she's out-generalled me. I'll never pretend to crow over her again; but it's awful, oh! it's awful!" She shuddered all over, and crouched closer together, winding both arms tightly around her knees. "Tell me all about it, Lottie. I must know, in order to judge how to act." She moved on the window-seat, that I might sit closer to her; then drawing my head down with her arm, whispered,-- "I knew that she was doing something, and that Mrs. Lee was suffering by it; but what? that was the question. I tried to keep awake at nights, but it was of no use; no log ever slept as I did. Last night, you remember, I drank that strong tea. It wasn't because I liked it; but I was determined to keep awake. I wanted you to be on hand as well, and gave you a powerful dose; and wasn't you wide awake as a night-hawk when I came into your room? "Well, I went to bed just as I always do, and lay down with my eyes shut, waiting. Babylon had gone to her room; but Cora was floating about in the passages a good while; finally she went in, and everything was still. It seemed to me as if I kept growing sharper and wider awake every minute; but I never heard that woman's step till she stood over me, and her shadow fell clear across the bed; I bit my lips to keep from screaming, but lay still and waited.