"TalkingofsuddendisappearancestheoneyoumentionofHannahinthatLeavenworthcaseofours，isnottheonlyremarkableonewhichhascomeundermydirectnotice。Indeed，Iknowofanotherthatinsomerespects，atleast，surpassesthatinpointsofinterest，andifyouwillpromisenottoinquireintotherealnamesofthepartiesconcerned，astheaffairisasecret，Iwillrelateyoumyexperienceregardingit。"
ThespeakerwasQ，therisingyoungdetective，universallyacknowledgedbyusoftheforceasthemostastutemanformysteriousandunprecedentedcases，theninthebureau，alwaysandofcourseexceptingMr。Gryce；andsuchastatementfromhimcouldnotbutarouseourdeepestcuriosity。Drawingup，then，tothestovearoundwhichweweresittinginlazyenjoymentofoneofthoseoff-hourssodeartoadetective'sheart，wegavewithalacritytherequiredpromise；andsettlinghimselfbackwiththesatisfiedairofamanwhohasagoodstorytotellthatdoesnotentirelylackcertainpointsredoundingtohisowncredit，hebegan:
IwasoneSundaymorningloiteringatthe——PrecinctStation，whenthedooropenedandarespectable-lookingmiddle-agedwomancamein，whoseagitatedairatonceattractedmyattention。Goinguptoher，I
askedherwhatshewanted。
"Adetective，"shereplied，glancingcautiouslyaboutonthefacesofthevariousmenscatteredthroughtheroom。"Idon'twishanythingsaidaboutit，butagirldisappearedfromourhouselastnight，and"——shestoppedhere，heremotionseemingtochokeher——"andIwantsomeonetolookherup，"shewentonatlastwiththemostintenseemphasis。
"Agirl?whatkindofagirl；andwhathousedoyoumeanwhenyousayourhouse?"
Shelookedatmekeenlybeforereplying。"Youareayoungman，"saidshe；"isn'ttheresomeoneheremoreresponsiblethanyourselfthatI
cantalkto?"
IshruggedmyshouldersandbeckonedtoMr。Grycewhowasjustthenpassing。Sheatonceseemedtoputconfidenceinhim。Drawinghimaside，shewhisperedafewloweagerwordswhichIcouldnothear。HelistenednonchalantlyforamomentbutsuddenlymadeamovewhichI
knewindicatedstrongandsurprisedinterest，thoughfromhisface——butyouknowwhatGryce'sfaceis。Iwasabouttowalkoff，convincedhehadgotholdofsomethinghewouldprefertomanagehimself，whentheSuperintendentcamein。
"WhereisGryce?"askedhe；"tellhimIwanthim。"
Mr。Gryceheardhimandhastenedforward。Ashepassedme，hewhispered，"Takeamanandgowiththiswoman；lookintomattersandsendmewordifyouwantme；Iwillbeherefortwohours。"
Ididnotneedasecondpermission。BeckoningtoHarris，I
reapproachedthewoman。"Wheredoyoucomefrom，"saidI，"Iamtogobackwithyouandinvestigatetheaffairitseems。"
"Didhesayso?"sheasked，pointingtoMr。GrycewhonowstoodwithhisbacktousbusilytalkingwiththeSuperintendent。
Inodded，andsheatoncemovedtowardsthedoor。"IcomefromNo——
SecondAvenue:Mr。Blake'shouse，"shewhispered，utteringanamesowellknown，IatonceunderstoodMr。Gryce'smovementofsuddeninterest"Agirl——onewhosewedforus——disappearedlastnightinawaytoalarmusverymuch。Shewastakenfromherroom——"
"Yes，"shecriedvehemently，seeingmylookofsarcasticincredulity，"takenfromherroom；sheneverwentofherownaccord；andshemustbefoundifIspendeverydollarofthepittanceIhavelaidupinthebankagainstmyoldage。"
Hermannerwassointense，hertonesomarkedandherwordssovehement，Iatonceandnaturallyaskedifthegirlwasarelativeofhersthatshefeltherabductionsokeenly。
"No，"shereplied，"notarelative，but，"shewenton，lookingeverywaybutinmyface，"averydearfriend——a——a——protegee，Ithinktheycallit，ofmine；I——I——Shemustbefound，"sheagainreiterated。
Wewerebythistimeinthestreet。
"Nothingmustbesaidaboutit，"shenowwhispered，catchingmebythearm。"Itoldhimso，"noddingbacktothebuildingfromwhichwehadjustissued，"andhepromisedsecrecy。Itcanbedonewithoutfolksknowinganythingaboutit，can'tit?"
"What?"Iasked。
"Findingthegirl。"
"Well，"saidI，"wecantellyoubetteraboutthatwhenweknowafewmoreofthefacts。Whatisthegirl'snameandwhatmakesyouthinkshedidn'tgooutofthehouse-doorofherownaccord?"
"Why，why，everything。Shewasn'tthepersontodoit；thenthelooksofherroom，and——Theyallgotoutofthewindow，"shecriedsuddenly，"andwentawaybythesidegateinto——Street。"
"They?Whodoyoumeanbythey?"
"Why，whoevertheywerewhocarriedheroff。"
Icouldnotsuppressthe"bah!"thatrosetomylips。Mr。Grycemighthavebeenableto，butIamnotGryce。
"Youdon'tbelieve，"saidshe，"thatshewascarriedoff?"
"Well，no，"saidI，"notinthesenseyoumean。"
Shegaveanothernodbacktothepolicestationnowablockorsodistant。"Hedid'ntseemtodoubtitatall。"
Ilaughed。"Didyoutellhimyouthoughtshehadbeentakenoffinthisway?"
"Yes，andhesaid，'Verylikely。'Andwellhemight，forIheardthementalkinginherroom，and——"
"Youheardmentalkinginherroom——when?"
"O，itmusthavebeenaslateashalf-pasttwelve。Ihadbeenasleepandthenoisetheymadewhispering，wokeme。"
"Wait，"Isaid，"tellmewhereherroomis，hersandyours。"
"Hersisthethirdstoryback，minethefrontoneonthesamefloor。"
"Whoareyou?"Inowinquired。"WhatpositiondoyouoccupyinMr。
Blake'shouse?"
"Iamthehousekeeper。"
Mr。Blakewasabachelor。
"Andyouwerewakenedlastnightbyhearingwhisperingwhichseemedtocomefromthisgirl'sroom。"
"Yes，Iatfirstthoughtitwasthefolksnextdoor，——weoftenhearthemwhentheyareunusuallynoisy，——butsoonIbecameassureditcamefromherroom；andmoreastonishedthanIcouldsay，——Sheisagoodgirl，"shebrokein，suddenlylookingatmewithhotlyindignanteyes，"a——a——asgoodagirlasthiswholecitycanshow；don'tyoudare，anyofyou，tohintatanythingelseo——"
"Come，come，"Isaidsoothingly，alittleashamedofmytoocommunicativeface，"Ihaven'tsaidanything，wewilltakeitforgrantedsheisasgoodasgold，goon。"
Thewomanwipedherforeheadwithahandthattrembledlikealeaf。
"WherewasI?"saidshe。"O，Iheardvoicesandwassurprisedandgotupandwenttoherdoor。ThenoiseImadeunlockingmyownmusthavestartledher，forallwasperfectlyquietwhenIgotthere。Iwaitedamoment，thenIturnedtheknobandcalledher:shedidnotreplyandIcalledagain。Thenshecametothedoor，butdidnotunlockit。
'Whatisit?'sheasked。'O，'saidI，'IthoughtIheardtalkinghereandIwasfrightened，''Itmusthavebeennextdoor，'saidshe。I
beggedpardonandwentbacktomyroom。Therewasnomorenoise，butwheninthemorningwebrokeintoherroomandfoundhergone，thewindowopenandsignsofdistressandstrugglearound，IknewIhadnotbeenmistaken；thatthereweremenwithherwhenIwenttoherdoor，andthattheyhadcarriedheroff——"
ThistimeIcouldnotrestrainmyself。
"Didtheydropheroutofthewindow?"Iinquired。
"O，"saidshe，"wearebuildinganextension，andthereisaladderrunninguptothethirdfloor，anditwasbymeansofthattheytookher。"
"Indeed!sheseemsatleasttohavebeenawillingvictim，"I
remarked。
Thewomanclutchedmyarmwithagriplikeiron。"Don'tyoubelieveit，"gaspedshe，stoppingmeinthestreetwherewewere。"ItellyouifwhatIsayistrue，andtheseburglarsorwhatevertheywere，didcarryheroff，itwasanagonytoher，anawful，awfulthingthatwillkillherifithasnotdonesoalready。Youdon'tknowwhatyouaretalkingabout，youneversawher——"
"Wasshepretty，"Iasked，hurryingthewomanalong，formorethanonepasser-byhadturnedtheirheadstolookatus。Thequestionseemedinsomewaytogiveherashock。
"Ah，Idon'tknow，"shemuttered；"somemightnotthinkso，Ialwaysdid；itdependeduponthewayyoulookedather。"
ForthefirsttimeIfeltathrillofanticipationshootthroughmyveins。Why，Icouldnotsay。Hertonewaspeculiar，andshespokeinasortofbroodingwayasthoughshewereweighingsomethinginherownmind；butthenhermannerhadbeenpeculiarthroughout。Whateveritwasthatarousedmysuspicion，Ideterminedhenceforthtokeepaverysharpeyeuponherladyship。Levellingastraightglanceatherface，Iaskedherhowitwasthatshecametobetheonetoinformtheauthoritiesofthegirl'sdisappearance。
"Doesn'tMr。Blakeknowanythingaboutit?"
Thefaintestshadowofachangecameintohermanner。"Yes，"saidshe，"Itoldhimatbreakfasttime；butMr。Blakedoesn'ttakemuchinterestinhisservants；heleavesallsuchmatterstome。"
"Thenhedoesnotknowyouhavecomeforthepolice?"
"No，sir，andO，ifyouwouldbesogoodastokeepitfromhim。Itisnotnecessaryheshouldknow。Ishallletyouinthebackway。Mr。
Blakeisamanwhonevermeddleswithanything，and——"
"WhatdidMr。Blakesaythismorningwhenyoutoldhimthatthisgirl——Bytheway，whatishername?"
"Emily。"
"Thatthisgirl，Emily，haddisappearedduringthenight?"
"Notmuchofanything，sir。Hewassittingatthebreakfasttablereadinghispaper，hemerelylookedup，frownedalittleinanabsent-mindedway，andtoldmeImustmanagetheservants'affairswithouttroublinghim。"
"Andyouletitdrop?"
"Yessir；Mr。Blakeisnotamantospeaktwiceto。"
IcouldeasilybelievethatfromwhatIhadseenofhiminpublic，forthoughbynomeansaharshlookingman，hehadareservedairwhichifmaintainedinprivatemusthavemadehimverydifficultofapproach。
Wewerenowwithinahalfblockorsooftheold-fashionedmansionregardedbythisscionofNewYork'saristocracyasoneofthemostdesirableresidencesinthecity；somotioningtothemanwhohadaccompaniedmetotakehisstandinadoorwaynearbyandwatchforthesignalIwouldgivehimincaseIwantedMr。Gryce，Iturnedtothewoman，whowasnowallinaflutter，andaskedherhowsheproposedtogetmeintothehousewithouttheknowledgeofMr。Blake。
"Osir，allyouhavegottodoistofollowmerightupthebackstairs；hewon'tnotice，orifhedoeswillnotaskanyquestions。"
Andhavingbythistimereachedthebasementdoor，shetookoutakeyfromherpocketandinsertingitinthelock，atonceadmittedusintothedwelling。
AFEWPOINTS
Mrs。Daniels，forthatwashername，tookmeatonceupstairstothethirdstorybackroom。Aswepassedthroughthehalls，Icouldnotbutnoticehowrich，thoughsombreweretheoldfashionedwallsandheavilyfrescoedceilings，sodifferentinstyleandcoloringfromwhatweseenow-a-daysinoursecretpenetrationsintoFifthAvenuemansions。ManyasarethewealthyhousesIhavebeencalledupontoenterinthelineofmyprofession，Ihadnevercrossedthethresholdofsuchanoneasthisbefore，andimperviousasIamtoanyfoolishsentimentalities，Ifeltacertaindegreeofaweatthethoughtofinvadingwithpoliceinvestigation，thishomeofancientKnicker-bockerrespectability。Butonceintheroomofthemissinggirl，everyconsiderationfledsavethatofprofessionalprideandcuriosity。Foralmostatfirstblush，IsawthatwhetherMrs。Danielswascorrectornotinhersurmisesastothemannerofthegirl'sdisappearance，thefactthatshehaddisappearedwaslikelytoproveanaffairofsomeimportance。For，letmestatethefactsintheorderinwhichInoticedthem。Thefirstthingthatimpressedmewas，thatwhateverMrs。Danielscalledher，thiswasnosewinggirl'sroomintowhichInowstepped。Plainaswasthefurnitureincomparisonwiththeelaboraterichnessofthewallsandceiling，therewerestillscatteredthroughtheroom，whichwaslargeevenforathirtyfoothouse，articlesofsufficientelegancetomakethesuppositionthatitwastheabodeofanordinaryseamstressopentosuspicion，ifnomore。
Mrs。Daniels，seeingmylookofsurprise，hastenedtoprovidesomeexplanation。"Itistheroomwhichhasalwaysbeendevotedtosewing，"saidshe；"andwhenEmilycame，Ithoughtitwouldbeeasiertoputupabedherethantosendherupstairs。Shewasaverynicegirlanddisarrangednothing。"
Iglancedaroundonthewriting-caselyingopenonasmalltableinthecentreoftheroom，onthevasehalffullofpartlywitheredroses，onthemantel-piece，theShakspeare，andMacaulay'sHistorylyingonthestandatmyright，thoughtmyownthoughts，butsaidnothing。
"Youfoundthedoorlockedthismorning?"askedI，afteramoment'sscrutinyoftheroominwhichthreefactshadbecomemanifest:first，thatthegirlhadnotoccupiedthebedthenightbefore；second，thattherehadbeensomesortofstruggleorsurprise，——oneofthecurtainsbeingviolentlytornasifgraspedbyanagitatedhand，tosaynothingofachairlyingupsetonthefloorwithoneofitslegsbroken；third，thatthedeparture，strangeasitmayseem，hadbeenbythewindow。
"Yes，"returnedshe；"butthereisapassagewayleadingfrommyroomtohersanditwasbythatmeansweentered。Therewasachairplacedagainstthedooronthissidebutweeasilypusheditaway。"
Isteppedtothewindowandlookedout。Ah，itwouldnotbesoverydifficultforamantogainthestreetfromthatspotinadarknight，fortheroofofthenewly-erectedextensionwasalmostonalevelwiththewindow。"
"Well，"saidsheanxiously，"couldn'tshehavebeengotoutthatway?"
"Moredifficultthingshavebeendone，"saidI；andwasabouttostepoutupontheroofwhenIbethoughttoinquireofMrs。Danielsifanyofthegirl'sclothingwasmissing。
Sheimmediatelyflewtotheclosetsandthencetobureaudrawerswhichsheturnedhastilyover。"No，nothingismissingbutahatandcloakand——"Shepausedconfusedly。
"Andwhat?"Iasked。
"Nothing，"returnedshe，hurriedlyclosingthebureaudrawer；"onlysomelittleknick-knacks。"
"Knick-knacks!"quothI。"Ifshestoppedforknick-knacks，shecouldn'thavegoneinanyveryunwillingframeofmind。"Andsomewhatdisgusted，Iwasabouttothrowupthewholeaffairandleavetheroom。ButtheindecisioninMrs。Daniels'ownfacedeterredme。
"Idon'tunderstandit，"murmuredshe，drawingherhandacrosshereyes。"Idon'tunderstandit。But，"shewentonwithevenanincreaseinheroldtoneofheart-feltconviction，"nomatterwhetherweunderstanditornot，thecaseisserious；Itellyouso，andshemustbefound。"
Iresolvedtoknowthenatureofthatmust，usedasfewwomeninherpositionwoulduseitevenundercircumstancestoallappearancemoreaggravatedthanthese。
Why，must?"saidI。"Ifthegirlwentofherownaccordassomethingsseemtoshow，whyshouldyou，norelativeasyouacknowledgetakethemattersotoheartastoinsistsheshallbefollowedandbroughtback?"
Sheturnedaway，uneasilytakingupandputtingdownsomelittlemattersonthetablebeforeher。"IsitnotenoughthatIpromisetopayforallexpenseswhichasearchwilloccasion，withoutmybeingforcedtodeclarejustwhyIshouldbewillingtodoso?AmIboundtotellyouIlovethegirl?thatIbelieveshehasbeentakenawaybyfoulmeans，andthattohergreatsufferinganddistress?thatbeingfondofherandbelievingthis，IamconscientiousenoughtoputeverymeansIpossessatthecommandofthosewhowillrecoverher?"
Iwasnotsatisfiedwiththisbutonthatveryaccountfeltmyenthusiasmrevive。
"ButMr。Blake?Surelyheistheonetotakethisinterestifanybody。"
"Ihavebeforesaid，"returnedshe，palinghoweverasshespoke，"thatMr。Blaketakesverylittleinterestinhisservants。"
Icastanotherglanceabouttheroom。"Howlonghaveyoubeeninthishouse?"askedI。
"IwasintheserviceofMr。Blake'sfatherandhediedayearago。"
"SincewhenyouhaveremainedwithMr。Blakehimself?"
"Yessir。"
"AndthisEmily，whendidshecomehere?"
"Ohitmustbeelevenmonthsorsoago。"
"AnIrishgirl?"
"Ono，American。Sheisnotacommonperson，sir，"
"Whatdoyoumeanbythat?Thatshewaseducated，lady-like，pretty，orwhat?"
"Idon'tknowwhattosay。Shewaseducated，yes，butnotasyouwouldcallaladyeducated。Yetsheknewagreatmanythingstherestofusdid'nt。Shelikedtoread，yousee，and——Osir，askthegirlsabouther，IneverknowwhattosaywhenIamquestioned。"
Iscannedthegray-hairedwomanstillmoreintentlythanIhadyetdone。Wasshetheweakcommon-placecreaturesheseemed，orhadshereallysomecauseotherthanappearedforthesehernumerousbreaksandhesitations。
"Wheredidyougetthisgirl?"Iinquired。"Wheredidshelivebeforecominghere?"
"Icannotsay，Ineveraskedhertotalkaboutherself。ShecametomeforworkandIlikedherandtookherwithoutrecommendation。"
"Andshehasservedyouwell?"
"Excellently。"
"Beenoutmuch?Hadanyvisitors?"
Sheshookherhead。"Neverwentoutandneverhadanyvisitors。"
IownIwasnonplussed，"Well，"saidI，"nomoreofthisatpresent。I
mustfirstfindoutifsheleftthishousealoneorincompanywithothers。"AndwithoutfurtherparleyIsteppedoutupontheroofoftheextension。
AsIdidsoIdebatedwithmyselfwhetherthecasewarrantedmeornotinsendingforMr。Gryce。Asyettherewasnothingtoshowthatthegirlhadcometoanyharm。Amereelopementwithorwithoutalovertohelpher，wasnotsuchaseriousmatterthatthewholepoliceforceneedbestirreduponthesubject；andifthewomanhadmoney，asshesaid，readytogivethemanwhoshoulddiscoverthewhereaboutsofthisgirl，whyneedthatmoneybedividedupanymorethanwasnecessary。YetGrycewasnotonetobedalliedwith。Hehadsaid，sendforhimiftheaffairseemedtocallforhisjudgment，andsomehowtheaffairdidpromisetobeatriflecomplicated。IwasyetundeterminedwhenIreachedtheedgeoftheroof。
Itwasadizzydescent，butoncemade，escapefromtheyardbeneathwouldbeeasy。Amancouldtakethatroadwithoutdifficulty；butawoman!BaffledattheideaIturnedthoughtfullyback，whenIbeheldsomethingontheroofbeforemethatcausedmetopauseandaskmyselfifthiswasgoingtoturnouttobeatragedyafterall。Itwasadropofcongealedblood。Furtherontowardsthewindowwasanother，andyes，furtherstill，anotherandanother。Ievenfoundoneupontheverywindowledgeitself。Boundingintotheroom，Isearchedthecarpetforfurthertraces。ItwastheworstoneintheworldtofindanythinguponofthenatureofwhichIwasseeking，beingaconfusedpatternofmingleddrabandred，andinmydifficultyIhadtostoopverylow。
"Whatareyoulookingfor?"criedMrs。Daniels。
Ipointedtothedroponthewindowsill。"Doyouseethat?"Iasked。
Sheutteredanexclamationandbentnearer。"Blood!"criedshe，andstoodstaring，withrapidlypalingcheeksandtremblingform。"Theyhavekilledherandhewillnever——"
AsshedidnotfinishIlookedup。
"Doyouthinkitwasherblood?"shewhisperedinahorrifiedtone。
"Thereiseveryreasontobelieveso，"rejoinedI，pointingtoaspotwhereIhadatlastdiscoverednotonlyonecrimsondropbutmany，scatteredoverthescarcelyredderrosesundermyfeet。
"Ah，itisworsethanIthought，"murmuredshe。"Whatareyougoingtodo?Whatcanwedo?
"Iamgoingtosendforanotherdetective，"returnedI；andsteppingtothewindowItelegraphedatoncetothemanHarristogoforMr。
Gryce。
"TheonewesawattheStation?"
Ibowedassent。
Herfacelostsomethingofitsdrawnexpression。"OIamglad；Hewilldosomething。"
Subduingmyindignationatthisbackthrust，Iemployedmytimeintakingnoteofsuchdetailsashadescapedmypreviousattention。
Theywerenotmany。Theopenwriting-desk——inwhich，howeverIfoundnolettersorwrittendocumentsofanykind，onlyafewsheetsofpaper，withpen，ink，etc。；thebrushandhairpinsscatteredonthebureauasthoughthegirlhadbeeninterruptedwhilearrangingherhairifshehadbeeninterrupted；andtheabsenceofanygreatpileofworksuchasonewouldexpecttoseeinaroomsetapartforsewing，wereallIcoulddiscover。Notmuchtohelpus，incasethiswastoproveanaffairofimportanceasIbegantosuspect。
WithMr。Gryce'sarrival，however，thingssoonassumedabettershape。
Hecametothebasementdoor，wasusheredinbyyourhumbleservant，hadthewholematterasfarasIhadinvestigatedit，athisfinger-endsinamoment，andwasup-stairsandinthatroombeforeI，whoamcalledthequickestmanintheforceasyouallknow，couldhavetimetodeterminejustwhatdifferencehispresencewouldmaketomeinapecuniarywayineventofMrs。Daniels'promisesamountingtoanything。Hedidnotremaintherelong，butwhenhecamedownIsawthathisinterestwasinnowiselessened。
"Whatkindofalookinggirlwasthis?"heasked，hurryinguptoMrs。
Danielswhohadwithdrawnintoarecessinthelowerhallwhileallthiswasgoingon。"Describehertome，hair，eyes，complexion，etc。；
youknow。"
"I——I——don'tknowasIcan，"shestammeredreluctantly，turningveryredintheface。"Iamapooronefornoticing。Iwillcalloneofthegirls，I——"Shewasgonebeforewerealizedshehadnotfinishedhersentence。
"Humph!"brokefromMr。Gryce'slipsashethoughtfullytookdownavasethatstoodonabracketnearbyandlookedintoit。
Ididnotventureaword。
WhenMrs。Danielscamebackshehadwithheratrim-lookinggirlofprepossessingappearance。
"ThisisFanny，"saidshe；"sheknowsEmilywell，beinginthehabitofwaitingonherattable；shewilltellyouwhatyouwanttohear。
Ihaveexplainedtoher，"shewenton，noddingtowardsMr。Grycewithacomposuresuchasshehadnotbeforedisplayed；"thatyouarelookingforyourniecewhoranawayfromhomesometimeagotogointosomesortofservice。"
"Certainly，ma'am，"quoththatgentleman，bowingwithmockadmirationtothegas-fixture。Thencarelesslyshiftinghisglancetothecleaning-clothwhichFannyheldratherconspicuouslyinherhand，herepeatedthequestionhehadalreadyputtoMrs。Daniels。
Thegirl，tossingherheadjustatrifle，atoncereplied:
"Oshewasgood-lookingenough，ifthatiswhatyoumean，forthemaslikesagirlwithcheeksaswhiteasthisclothwasaforeIrubbedthespoonswithit。Asforhereyes，theywasblackerthanherhair，whichwastheBlackestIeversee。Shehadnofleshatall，andasforherfigure——"Fannyglanceddownonherownwelldevelopedperson，andgaveashruginexpressiblysuggestive。
"Isthisdescriptiontrue?"Mr。Gryceasked，seeminglyofMrs。
Daniels，thoughhisgazerestedwithcuriousintentnessonthegirl'sheadwhichwascoveredwithalittlecap。
"Sufficientlyso，"returnedMrs。Danielsinaverylowtone，however。
Thenwithasuddendisplayofenergy，"Emily'sfigureisnotwhatyouwouldcallplump。Ihaveseenher——"ShebrokeoffasifalittlestartledatherselfandmotionedFannytogo。
"Waitamoment，"interposedMr。Gryceinhissoftway。"Yousaidthegirl'shairandeyesweredark；weretheydarkerthanyours?"
"O，yessir；"repliedthegirlsimpering，asshesettledtheribbonsonhercap。
"Letmeseeyourhair。"
Shetookoffhercapwithasmile。
"Ha，verypretty，verypretty。Andtheothergirls?YouhaveothergirlsIsuppose?"
"Two，sir；"returnedMrs。Daniels。
"Howabouttheircomplexions?AretheylightertoothanEmily's?"