Surely that was a knock at her door?  Yes; it was repeated, with a distinct calling of her name.  She endeavoured to stand up.

‘Miss Madden!’ It was the landlady’s voice.  ’Miss Madden!  Are you in bed yet?’

Virginia succeeded in reaching the door.

‘What is it?’

Another voice spoke.

’It is I, Virginia.  I have come this evening instead of to-morrow.  Please let me come in.’

‘Alice?  You can’t—­I’ll come—­wait downstairs.’

She was still able to understand the situation, and able, she thought, to speak coherently, to disguise her condition.  The things on the table must be put out of sight.  In trying to do this, she upset her glass and knocked the empty bottle on to the floor.  But in a few minutes bottle, glass, and spirit-kettle were hidden away.  The sugar-basin she lost sight of; it still remained in its former place.

Then she opened the door, and with uncertain step went out into the passage.

‘Alice!’ she called aloud.

At once both her sisters appeared, coming out of Monica’s chamber.  Monica had partly dressed herself.

‘Why have you come to-night?’ Virginia exclaimed, in a voice which seemed to her own ears perfectly natural.

She tottered, and was obliged to support herself against the wall.  The light from her room fell full upon her, and Alice, who had stepped forward to give her a kiss, not only saw, but smelt, that something very strange was the matter.  The odour proceeding from the bedroom, and that of Virginia’s breath, left small doubt as to the cause of delay in giving admittance.

Whilst Alice stood bewildered, Monica received an illumination which instantly made clear to her many things in Virginia’s daily life.  At the same moment she understood those mysterious hints concerning her sister in Widdowson’s letters.

‘Come into the room,’ she said abruptly.  ‘Come, Virgie.’

’I don’t understand—­why has Alice come to-night?—­what’s the time?’

Monica took hold of the tottering woman’s arm and drew her out of the passage.  The cold air had produced its natural effect upon Virginia, who now with difficulty supported herself.

‘O Virgie!’ cried the eldest sister, when the door was closed.  ’What is the matter?  What does it mean?’

Already she had been shedding tears at the meeting with Monica, and now distress overcame her; she sobbed and lamented.

‘What have you been doing, Virgie?’ asked Monica with severity.

‘Doing?  I feel a little faint—­surprise—­didn’t expect—­’

‘Sit down at once.  You are disgusting!  Look, Alice.’  She pointed to the sugar-basin on the table; then, after a rapid glance round the room, she went to the cupboard and threw the door open.  ’I thought so.  Look, Alice.  And to think I never suspected this!  It has been going on a long time—­oh, a long time.  She was doing it at Mrs. Conisbee’s before I was married.  I remember smelling spirits—­’