smiled. This, however, passed, and she
looked steadily at the agitated girl.

"Geraldine, my dear, you quite forget
yourself. You call upon me, with authority,
to dismiss this excellent lady, whose aid I
have, at great personal sacrifice to myself,
secured on your behalf. Her invariable
condition is, that no one interferes with her
system of education. To resist is to lose
her. I have been compelled to pay her
highly, in advance. Dismissal is out of the
question. But what I can do I will. Let
us go back to her."

She drew her stepchild's arm within her
own. It felt like the coil of a snake. The
reception of her just complaint had given
shape to her indefinite misgiving. Geraldine
was already convinced that a secret
understanding existed between the two
women to degrade and mortify—perhaps
maltreat her. What was to be done?

"For my sake, dear Mrs. Manning," said
Melusina, with a sweet, entreating smile, as
they re-entered, "you will forgive my
wilful one—will you not?"

"At your request. For this time," replied
that imperturbable lady. Then, turning
icily to her pupil: "Music next, if you
please."

The next morning, Geraldine, the tumult
of whose mind had rendered her unfit for
study, found her tasks once more
augmented. She lost heart, and, on a sharp
reproof from her governess, flung down the
book, declaring she could do no more. If
she intended to kill her, she might.

"I do not destroy; I mend," said Mrs.
Manning, unimpassioned as ever. And once
more the riding-rod appeared.

"By what right do you offer me this
outrage, defenceless as I am?" cried
Geraldine, indignantly. "You are stronger
than I, it is true; but lay one finger on
me, and I will shriek till I am heard and
rescued."

"Spare your cries," replied the governess.
"There is no one within hearing of this
house who will not disregard them. As for
my strength—look here."

She caught Geraldine's wrists in one hand.

The action manacled her, as it were,
with rings of steel. Nor that alone; it
seemed to paralyse her entire frame. At
the same moment the woman fixed her great
gloomy eyes upon her with a stare so
concentrated and manacing, that the poor girl,
sickening with terror, felt as if she were in
the clutches of some furious beast.

"Spare me ." she gasped. "I will—will
obey!"

"Well for yourself that you have done so.
Bare your neck and shoulders."

Mrs. Manning released the trembling
hands, which had hardly strength to do the
office commanded. They did it at length;
and Geraldine's fair neck and round pearl-
white shoulders received the first angry
touch they had ever known. The strokes
were few, perhaps slight; but each elicited
a low cry the—plaint of wounded delicacy,
not of pain.

Then her governess locked up the whip,
and left the room.

It would be useless to dwell upon the
anguish of the succeeding moments. The
thought that she—the tenderly-nurtured
child, the darling of the kind convent
sisterhood, the grown accomplished woman
should be exposed to the punishment of a
child—worse, of a slave! Geraldine gazed
wildly round, and waved her arms as if for
help. Then the thought of escape occurred.
She flew to the barred casement.

There, without, as if anticipating her
intend, stood, like a motionless sentinel, the
horrible La Pareuse! Geraldine fancied
she saw upon her ghastly face a grin of
exultation. From that moment she felt her
situation hopeless.

In effect, the victory was already gained.
An idea that they intended to render her
mad, and, if thwarted, might use some
dreadful violence, took possession of her
perturbed mind. She ceased to resent or
oppose the orders given her.

Mrs. Manning did not use her triumph
nobly. She increased the tasks, she
repeated (and increased) the correction, until,
one day, mad with pain and shame,
Geraldine broke in upon her stepmother, and,
turning her beautiful wealed shoulders to
her gaze:

"See!" she exclaimed—"cruel heartless
woman! See how I am used under your
roof—perhaps with your sanction—the
child of the man whose wishes were your
law—your law! Is this your tenderness
and care? Did you take my inheritance
—almost, alas! my father's love—away
from me, and are these shameful lashes
your inhuman return?"

Melusina turned her green lambent eyes
slowly on the speaker.

"And you dare address this speech to
me?" she said, in a low creeping tone,
and, rising, seemed to uncoil like a
surprised snake that shows its fangs.
"Reproaches to me? complaints to me? Then
take the truth. Do you conceive, you
little fool, that I have not read you from