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Will she last out the night, I wonder? Look at the clock, Mathew. Ten minutes past twelve! She HAS lasted the night out. She has lived, Robert, to see ten minutes ofthe new day. These words were spoken in the kitchen of a large country-house situated on the west coast ofCornwall. The speakers were two of the men-servants composing the establishment of CaptainTreverton, an officer in the navy, and the eldest male representative of an old Cornish family. Boththe servants communicated with each other restrainedly, in whispers-sitting close together, andlooking round expectantly toward the door whenever the talk flagged between them. It's an awful thing, said the elder of the men, for us two to be alone here, at this dark time, counting out the minutes that our mistress has left to live! Robert, said the other, you have been in the service here since you were a boy-did you ever hearthat our mistress was a play-actress when our master married her? How came you to know that? inquired the elder servant, sharply. Hush! cried the other, rising quickly from his chair.A bell rang in the passage outside. Is that for one of us? asked Mathew. Can't you tell, by the sound, which is which of those bells yet? exclaimed Robert, contemptuously. That bell is for Sarah Leeson. Go out into the passage and look. The younger servant took a candle and obeyed. When he opened the kitchen-door, a long row ofbells met his eye on the wall opposite. Above each of them was painted, in neat black letters, thedistinguishing title of the servant whom it was specially intended to summon. The row of lettersbegan with Housekeeper and Butler, and ended with Kitchen-maid and Footman's Boy.Looking along the bells, Mathew easily discovered that one of them was still in motion. Above itwere the words Lady's-Maid. Observing this, he passed quickly along the passage, and knocked at anold-fashioned oak door at the end of it. No answer being given, he opened the door and looked intothe room. It was dark and empty. Sarah is not in the housekeeper's room, said Mathew, returning to his fellow-servant in thekitchen

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