ness seemed unreal, and the dreams had been most vivid.
Then with tender masterfulness two strong arms were flung about her and
her face was drawn close to his across the vine-twined gate until her lips
touched his. One long clinging kiss of tenderness he gave her and held her
head close against his breast for just a moment while he murmured: "My
darling! My precious, precious Kate, I have you at last!"

The spell was broken! Marcia's dream was shattered. Her mind awoke. With a
scream she sprang from him, horror and a wild but holy joy mingling with
her perplexity. She put her hand upon her heart, marvelling over the
sweetness that lingered upon her lips, trying to recover her senses as she
faced the eager lover who opened the little gate and came quickly toward
her, as yet unaware that it was not Kate to whom he had been talking.

CHAPTER III

Marcia stood quivering, trembling. She comprehended all in an instant.
David Spafford had come a day earlier than he had been expected, to
surprise Kate, and Kate was off having a good time with some one else. He
had mistaken her for Kate. Her long dress and her put-up hair had deceived
him in the moonlight. She tried to summon some womanly courage, and in her
earnestness to make things right she forgot her natural timidity.

"It is not Kate," she said gently; "it is only Marcia. Kate did not know
you were coming to-night. She did not expect you till to-morrow. She had
to go out,--that is--she has gone with--" the truthful, youthful, troubled
sister paused. To her mind it was a calamity that Kate was not present to
meet her lover. She should at least have been in the house ready for a
surprise like this. Would David not feel the omission keenly? She must
keep it from him if she could about Captain Leavenworth. There was no
reason why he should feel badly about it, of course, and yet it might
annoy him. But he stepped back laughing at his mistake.

"Why! Marcia, is it you, child? How you have grown! I never should have
known you!" said the young man pleasantly. He had always a grave
tenderness for this little sister of his love. "Of course your sister did
not know I was coming," he went on, "and doubtless she has many things to
attend to. I did not expect her to be out here watching for me, though for
a moment I did think she was at the gate. You say she is gone out? Then we
will go up to the house and I will be there to surprise her when