“Well, I shall not discharge you this time, nor scold you, though you have acted very imprudently, staying out so late with a young man whose character is almost wholly unknown to you. You must not let it occur again.” “Oh, no, sir,” she answered meekly, edging toward the door, but he said quickly: “One minute more. I would have discharged any other attendant for such an offense, but I am interested in you, as I have told you before. In fact, I have been planning for several days a pleasure trip for you.” Eva caught her breath with a gasp of surprise. Her employer continued with an ingratiating smile: “We have to send an attendant for an insane girl at Clarksburg. It would be a pleasant trip--all your expenses paid. Would you like to go?” “Oh, no, thank you. I am not used to travel. I should be afraid!” Eva cried out quickly, deprecatingly. “You dear little coward!” he cried gayly. “But I was about to explain that you need not go alone. I am going to Washington to-morrow and would bear you company on the trip. In fact, so well do I like you, little Eva, that I will take you to Washington with me for a day or so and show you all the sights and give you a good time generally. Then you could go and get the patient from Clarksburg and come back here, and no one be the wiser of your jolly little escapade. What do you say to my clever plan, my pretty little dear?” Her great eyes blazed on him as he tried to approach her, continuing: “I know that some of the other girls would give anything for such a trip with me, but I asked you first because I love you best--ay, better than any one else on earth! My little darling, you need not hesitate. You would never be found out.” “How dare you make your vile proposition to me?” she found voice to utter scathingly. “Tut, tut; you need not be so prudish, little Eva. I know all about your shady past--how your cousin killed a man that he found in your room at midnight. Do you pretend to have reformed your morals now?” How she hated the leering smile, the sneering tone; how she longed to strike him in his face, to throw open the door and denounce him to every one. Yet her horror of a scene and of another scandal associated with her pure name made her hesitate and answer brokenly: “I am under a cloud, Doctor St. Clair, but I am innocent. Doctor Ludington came to my room that night in a professional capacity alone, and I must beg you not to regard me as a sinner, but as a martyr.” His low, incredulous laugh grated harshly on her ears, and stung her into adding: “I am loath to betray you and make a scandal of your vile propositions to a supposedly defenseless girl, but I had better say that the next insult from you will be reported to my future husband.” “You are to marry!” he exclaimed, in astonishment, mixed with grief and chagrin. With flashing eyes and her head thrown back in pride, Eva answered: “I am betrothed to Doctor Rupert, and we are to be married soon.”