. She had
allowed it to fall at her feet, where it lay, half opened, while she
drifted away from the present in sorrowful reverie. Lifting her eyes,
she saw a cab drive away from the villa gate, and a form hurrying
along the marble pathway. Springing up, Olive herself threw open the
door, and clasped her arms about--Miss Arthur's French maid! who
returned the caress with much enthusiasm.

"Madeline, my dear child, how glad I am to see you!"

"Even in this disguise?" laughed the girl.

"Even in blue glasses, and that horrid jacket," smiled Olive. "What an
ugly thing it is. Come and take it off, _ma belle_; do," leading the
way up the stairs.

"I come, autocrat, and I shall much enjoy getting out of this
head-gear," shaking her bewigged head. Then abruptly, "Where's
Claire?"

"Out for a drive and some calls," without looking back. "How surprised
and glad she will be to see you. Now, come in and make a lady of
yourself once more." She led the way into Madeline's room. "Are you
tired, dear?"

"Not at all."

"Then come into my boudoir when you are dressed, and we will have a
cosy chat while waiting for Claire."

"I won't be long," responded the girl. "I have a good many things to
say to you, which had better be said before Claire comes."

"Very well; I await your ladyship," and Olive closed the door, leaving
Miss Arthur's maid alone.

"I thought so," muttered she, tearing off the blue glasses; "she has
gone to meet Edward Percy. Poor dupe! it is indeed time to act."

She discarded the ill-fitting jacket, flung away the ugly black wig,
and, in a very few moments, stood arrayed in a pretty, neatly fitting
gown, glowing and lovely,--Madeline Payne once more.

"I wonder if I shall see or hear of _him_," she whispered to herself
as she crossed to Olive's boudoir. "Oh, if I could! It would be one
ray of sunlight only to clasp his hand!"

Olive had been informed of all that Madeline herself knew, of the
doings at Bellair, at the time when the girl went down, disguised as
Celine Leroque. Now, therefore, Madeline lost no time in making Olive
acquainted with, at least a part of, the events that had transpired
during her sojourn in the Oakley mansion, in the capacity of maid. Of
Edward Percy she said not a word, for reasons of her own, wishing to
keep all knowledge of him from Olive for the present.

"You see, I was just in time, Olive," she supplemented, when Mrs.
Girard had expressed her astonishment at the startli