t wool. She held up her skirts daintily. A great amethyst gleamed
at her throat, but her face, wearing a smile like a painted one, was
dreadful. It was inconceivable, but Margaret Edes had actually in
view the banality of confessing her sin to her minister. Of course,
Annie was the one who divined her purpose. Von Rosen was simply
bewildered. He rose, and stood with an air of polite attention.

"Margaret," cried Annie, "Margaret!"

The man thought that his sweetheart was simply embarrassed, because
of discovery. He did not understand why she bade him peremptorily to
please go in the house and see if Aunt Harriet were awake, that she
wished to speak to Mrs. Edes. He, however, went as bidden, already
discovering that man is as a child to a woman when she is really in
earnest.

When he was quite out of hearing, Annie turned upon her friend.
"Margaret," she said, "Margaret, you must not."

Margaret turned her desperate eyes upon Annie. "I did not know it
would be like this," she said.

"You must not tell him."

"I must."

"You must not, and all the more now."

"Why, now?"

"I am going to marry him."

"Then he ought to know."

"Then he ought not to know, for you have drawn me into your web of
deceit also. He has talked to me about you and the book. I have not
betrayed you. You cannot betray me."

"It will kill me. I did not know it would be like this. I never
blamed myself for anything before."

"It will not kill you, and if it does, you must bear it. You must not
do your husband and children such an awful harm."

"Wilbur is nominated for Senator. He would have to give it up. He
would go away from Fairbridge. He is very proud," said Margaret in a
breathless voice, "but I must tell."

"You cannot tell."

"The children talk of it all the time. They look at me so. They
wonder because they think I have written that book. They tell all the
other children. Annie, I must confess to somebody. I did not know it
would be like this."

"You cannot confess to anybody except God," said Annie.

"I cannot tell my husband. I cannot tell poor Wilbur, but I thought
Mr. von Rosen would tell him."

"You can not tell Mr. von Rosen. You have done an awful wrong, and
now you can not escape the fact that you have done it. You cannot get
away from it."

"You are so hard."

"No, I am not hard," said Annie. "I did not betray you there before
them all, and neither did Alice."

"Did Alice Mendon know?" asked Margaret in an