ggest the crew of adventurers which
Mrs. Standish had led Sally to expect.

Thus far, indeed, Sally had failed to detect anything in the
atmosphere of the establishment or in the bearing of its mistress to
bear out the innuendo that Gosnold House was infested by a parasitic
swarm and "Aunt Abby" the dupe of her own unholy passions. Doubts
hummed in Sally's head, and she was abruptly surprised to find the
view obscured by a mist of her own making--by, in short, nothing less
than tears.

The simple kindliness of Mrs. Gosnold's welcome had touched the
impostor more deeply than she had guessed. All this was offered her,
this life of semi-idleness and luxury in this spot of poetic beauty,
in return for nothing but trifling services. But she was not worthy!

A little gust of anger shook her--anger with her benefactors, that
they could not have introduced her to this mundane paradise as her
simple self, Miss Manvers--Sarah with the vulgar _h_--by her own
merits and defects to stand or fall. . . .

But, as though the fates were weaving the fabric of her destiny less
blindly than is their commonly reputed custom, the young woman's
conscience during those few first hours had little time in which to
work upon her better nature. Its first squeamish qualms, when it at
length got Sally alone, were quickly counteracted by a knock at
her door and what followed--the entrance of a quiet-mannered maid
whose fresh-coloured countenance loomed like some amiable, mature moon
above a double armful of summery apparel.

"Mrs. Standish's compliments, ma'am, and I'm bringing your things.
There's more to come--as much again I'm to fetch immediate--and the
rest, Mrs. Standish says, there'll be time enough for after luncheon,
when all her trunks is unpacked."

Carefully depositing her burden upon the bed, she beamed
acknowledgment of Sally's breathless thanks and made off briskly, to
return much too soon to suit one who would have been glad of longer
grace in which to become more intimately acquainted with this new
donation of her ravishing good fortune.

None the less, it didn't need another double armful of beautiful
things to satisfy Sally that, whatever and how many might be the
faults of her benefactress, niggardliness was not of their number.

"That's all for now, and Mrs. Standish's compliments, and will you be
so kind as to stop and see her, when you're dressed, before going down
to lunch. It's the last door on the left, just this s