her confession, she
unclasped the pearls from her neck, put them away in their cases and
placed it in Horace's hand. "Keep it," she said, with a momentary
faltering in her voice, "until we meet again."

Horace took the case in silence; he looked and acted like a man whose
mind was paralyzed by surprise. His hand moved mechanically. His eyes
followed Mercy with a vacant, questioning look. Lady Janet seemed, in
her different way, to share the strange oppression that had fallen on
him. A vague sense of dread and distress hung like a cloud over her
mind. At that memorable moment she felt her age, she looked her age, as
she had never felt it or looked it yet.

"Have I your ladyship's leave," said Mercy, respectfully, "to go to my
room?"

Lady Janet mutely granted the request. Mercy's last look, before she
went out, was a look at Grace. "Are you satisfied now?" the grand gray
eyes seemed to say, mournfully. Grace turned her head aside, with a
quick, petulant action. Even her narrow nature opened for a moment
unwillingly, and let pity in a little way, in spite of itself.

Mercy's parting words recommended Grace to Julian's care:

"You will see that she is allowed a room to wait in? You will warn her
yourself when the half hour has expired?"

Julian opened the library door for her.

"Well done! Nobly done!" he whispered. "All my sympathy is with you--all
my help is yours."

Her eyes looked at him, and thanked him, through her gathering tears.
His own eyes were dimmed. She passed quietly down the room, and was lost
to him before he had shut the door again.

CHAPTER XXI. THE FOOTSTEP IN THE CORRIDOR.

MERCY was alone.

She had secured one half hour of retirement in her own room, designing
to devote that interval to the writing of her confession, in the form of
a letter addressed to Julian Gray.

No recent change in her position had, as yet, mitigated her horror of
acknowledging to Horace and to Lady Janet that she had won her way to
their hearts in disguise. Through Julian only could she say the words
which were to establish Grace Roseberry in her right position in the
house.

How was her confession to be addressed to him? In writing? or by word of
mouth?

After all that had happened, from the time when Lady Janet's
appearance had interrupted them, she would have felt relief rather than
embarrassment in personally opening her heart to the man who had so
delicately understood her, who had so faithfully befr