e thought in the heart of each one of the party, as they
filed out of the room.

Did Claudia wish to pray? Did she intend to ask God's protection against
evil? Did she dare to ask his blessing on the act she contemplated?

We shall see.

She went after the last retreating figure and closed and bolted the
door. Then she returned to her dressing bureau, opened a little secret
drawer and took from it a tiny jar of rouge, and with a piece of
cotton-wool applied it to her deathly-white cheeks until she had
produced there an artificial bloom, more brilliant than that of her
happiest days, only because it was more brilliant than that of nature.
Then to soften its fire she powdered her face with pearl white, and
finally with a fine handkerchief carefully dusted off the superfluous
particles.

Having done this, she put away her cosmetics and took from the same
receptacle a vial of the spirits of lavender and mixed a spoonful of it
with water and drank it off.

Then she returned the vial to its place and locked up the secret drawer
where she kept her deceptions.

She gave one last look at the mirror, saw that between the artificial
bloom and the artificial stimulant her face presented a passable
counterfeit of its long-lost radiance; she drew her bridal veil around
so as to shade it a little, lowered her head and raised her bouquet,
that her friends might not see the suspicious suddenness of the
transformation from deadly pallor to living bloom--for though Claudia,
in an hour of hysterical passion, had discovered this secret of her
toilet to Beatrice, yet she was really ashamed of it, and wished to
conceal it from all others.

She opened the door, went out, and joined her friends in the hall,
saying with a cheerfulness that she had found in the lavender vial:

"I am quite ready for the show now!"

But she kept her head lowered and averted, for a little while, though in
fact her party were too much excited to scrutinize her appearance,
especially as they had had a good view of her while making her toilet.

They went down into the drawing room, where the family and their nearest
relations were assembled and waiting for them.

Bee was there, looking lovely as usual. Bee, who almost always wore
white when in full dress, now varied from her custom by wearing a glace
silk of delicate pale blue, with a white lace mantle and a white lace
bonnet and veil. Bee did this because she did not mean to be mustered
into the bride's