Miss Mephistopheles

ircumstances," and truly Kitty Marchurst, better known a

iding girl, and left her to starve in the streets of Melbourne. From this terrible fate, however, she was rescued by Mrs. Villiers, who had known her as a child, and it seemed as though she would once more be happy, when circumstances again intervened, and through her connection with a poisoning case, she was ag

er loneliness, and she called the little one Margaret, hoping it would comfort her in the future. But the seeds of evil implanted in her breast by Vandeloup began to bear fruit, and with returning health came a craving; for excitement. She grew

story were too notorious for such a public career as she had chosen. All avoided her, and this worked her ruin. Had one door been open to her--had one kind hand been stretched forth to s

little money, and a child to support. The future looked black enough bef

herself so well that, with one bound, she became a popular favourite, and the star still continuing ill for the rest of the run of the piece, she was able to consolidate the favourable impression she ha

playing the title r?les in Giroflé Girofla, La Perichole, and Boccaccio, scoring brilliantly each time; and now she had created the part of Prince Carnival, which proved to be her greatest succe

r; so she made up her mind to ruin all she could, and succeeded admirably. One after another, not only the gilded youth of Melb

manner, and as soon as she had ruined one man, took up with another, and turned her back on the poor one with a cynical sneer. Her greatest delight was to take away other women's husbands, and many happy homes had she broken

her child from a terrible death, her gratitude knew no bounds. She heard of the young man's ambitions from Ezra, and determined

t curtains. A magnificent grand piano, great masses of tropical foliage in fantastically-coloured jars, priceless cabinets of china, and costly, well-selected pictures. One of he

. Kitty sat at a writing-desk reading letters, and the morning sun shining through the window made a halo round her golden head. No one w

curls falling over her face, playing with a box of bricks, and eve

the very man who had given her the house, and who

have feigned a love you did not feel, if only to spare me t

ords, and, crushing up the letter in her hands, she th

iss and caress him to gratify his vanity. Did I not give him fair warning of the end? And now he whimpers

laughed

en building two edifices of br

the House of Good, but the other is the House of Sin. Mumse

ice, touched by the artless question of the child. "Come t

ation, and, climbing up on her mother's

and saw my Guinea pigs. Dotty--you know, mumsey, the one with the

een a good

, not very good. I was cross with Bl

" said her mother, smoothing the ch

ding her head sagely, "

kissing the child, d

mse

darl

e the man who stopped

like to give h

on, and Meg puckered up he

d at length, "the man

cuts lo

ted Meg wisely. "Bliggings told me; le

ling; "the man will then know my

ly; and, climbing down off her mother's knee, she began to pla

. She had written to Hiram J. Fenton asking for some money, and he had curtly refused to give he

ly. "Very well, my friend, there are plent

and shortly after the servant entered with a c

ton's wife! what does she want, I wonder? I thought I was

e card again, the

the servant disappeared, she called Meg. "Mumse

sey's sweetheart, set

collected the bricks in a pinafore, and walk

aid, shaking her curls, "and w

when the servant threw ope

. Ma

d, as the door closed behind, paused a moment and

said Kitty in

of great beauty; but she had a restless, pitiful look in her ey

ely, taking in at a glance the beautiful, tire

hostess, nervously clasping and unclasping her hands over the ivory handle of her umbrella. She gl

e called to see you a

she resumed her seat w

hat abo

s?" said Mrs. Ma

head in a supe

he reason of your visit," she s

her rapidly. "We have only been marrie

inform me of your domestic affa

-we loved one another

back with an amused laugh. "I've heard that complaint before--you

clasping her hands. "You have many richer and better than he. I love

s coldly, "I do not encourage him, I assu

oves you--he worships t

ial; for his devotion

e him?" said Mrs. M

er feet, and la

le lot of them. Do you think I care for their flattery, their kisses, their

omes here," said

ned on he

I don't ask your husband to come; if he finds in me what he misses in you

e young woman sprang for

re dragging us both to perdition; he has ruined himself for your sake, an

of your virtue?" sa

stood wringi

tect me, but he leaves me for you--and," in a whisper, "you don't know all--h

cri

t so loud--not so loud--yes, he has embezzle

and grasped at a

-not ask him fo

your sake--your sake

any man! My good woman, if he went into the prisoner's

n fell on

at!" she cried wildly. "You wil

h a cold glitter, lik

ainst me. I asked for bread, they gave me a stone--they made of me a scourge for their own evil doing--this is the time for my revenge; fallen and degraded though I be, I can wring their heart

eating her breasts with her h

you want

n; he is your lover--he can refuse you nothing.

N

God's

N

ave a

my chil

t you would make my innocent child suffer for its father's crime. Oh, if you

the woman at her feet burst in

d the room by the window,

said, "why doe

Malton stretched out her hands to Meg

g for my li

he kneeling woman, and touching her s

er. With a sudden impulse, she bent

," she said huskily,

but Kitty waved her off, while Meg stood

, g

nt down and ki

you have been to me," and, wit

ke her mother's hands from her f

ng Meg close to her. "Mother was kind t

round Kitty's neck, while the poor woman leaned her aching hea

ype="