The old woman gazed and gazed, as if she could never get done looking, and then her face changed, her lips twitched, she blinked her eyelids nervously, and sank down by the bed, overcome by a sudden and terrible remorse.
"My God! What have I done?" she groaned self-reproachfully.
Far back in granny's life was a time when she had been a better woman. It seemed to return upon her now.
She groped beneath the coverlid for Liane's cold, stiff hand.
"Liane, little angel, I am sorry," she muttered. "I would bring you back if I could! Oh, why did the foul fiend send her here to tempt me to the damnation of this deed? But she is safe now! Roma is safe now! And she has promised that I shall not miss Liane's labor."
A new thought struck her. It would soon be day, and she must hasten to hide the evidence of her crime.
She started up nervously, and busied herself searching Liane for the coveted money, but not finding it, she began other necessary preparations.
It was that dismal hour that comes before the dawn, when she stole through Mrs. Brinkley's dark halls and passed like a shadow through the side door, escaping safely into the street with a shawled and hooded burden that must be safely hidden from the sight of men.
Lightly and softly fell the cold December snow, covering up the footprints of the skulking woman; but they could not blot the dark stain of crime from her black soul.