“And how did she learn anything about Mrs. Wentworth?” enquired Dr. Humphries.

“My Mistis went dere wid her chil’en, sah, and her little daughter died in de ole woman’s cabin.”

“Good God!” exclaimed the Doctor, “and how was it that I have heard nothing about it until now?”

“It only was a few days ago,” replied Elsy, “and Auntie come here ebery day, but you and Miss Emma was not at home ebery time, and she only tole me about it dis mornin.”

“Are you certain that the woman who has been carried to jail is your Mistress?” asked Dr. Humphries.

“No sah,” she answered, “Auntie say dat de name am different, but dat de name ob de leetle gal am de same.”

“And the little boy you say has been under the care of the old woman ever since,” remarked Dr. Humphries.

“Yes sah,” Elsy replied, “but she want you to take him away from her, so dat he may be under a white pusson, and das de reason why she been here wantin’ to see you bout it.”

“Very well,” said.  Dr. Humphries, “I will attend to it this evening; in the meantime do you remain here and go with me to the cabin and see if the child is your Mistress’.”

Elsy curtsied as she enquired, “Shall I tell my Master ’bout dis, sah?”

“No, no,” replied the Doctor, “he must know nothing about it until I have arranged everything for his wife and removed her from prison.  Be certain,” he continued, walking to the door, “that you do not breathe a word about this until I have seen your Mistress and learned the reason of her imprisonment.”

On returning to the parlor, where Harry and Emma were seated, Dr. Humphries called him aside and related what he had heard from Elsy.  The young man listened attentively, and was very much shocked to hear of Mrs. Wentworth’s being imprisoned for theft.  He knew that Alfred was the soul of honor, and he could not conceive that the wife of his friend would be guilty of such an offense.

“It is impossible to believe such a thing,” he said, after Dr. Humphries had concluded, “I cannot believe that the wife of such a man as Alfred Wentworth would commit an offense of such a nature; it must be some one else, and not Mrs. Wentworth.”

“That we can find out this evening,” observed the Doctor.  “Let us first call at the cabin of my old slave and find out whether the child in her keeping is one of Mrs. Wentworth’s children.”

“How will we be able to discover,” asked Harry.  “It appears by your account that the boy is a mere infant, and he could hardly be expected to give an account of himself or his parents.”

“I have removed any difficulty of that nature,” replied Dr. Humphries, “Elsy will accompany us to the cabin, and she will easily recognize the child if he is the son of your friend.”

“You are right,” Harry remarked; and then continued, “I trust he may not be, for Alfred would almost go crazy at the knowledge that his wife was the inmate of a prison on the charge of robbery.”