nd gazed
in upon the gorgeous scene.

For an instant the great blaze of light dazzled her weak eyes, and
everything seemed to swim before her.

But gradually, little by little, she began to distinguish objects, and
at last her eyes fell upon the face of Harry Kendal.

With a great cry, the girl clutched her hands tightly over her heart.
She never thought that she would look upon his face again in this world.

It was _his_ face--the face of her hero, her king, before which all else
paled as the moonbeams pale before the glaring light of the rising sun.
Then suddenly she saw the face beside him into which he was gazing, and
it was then that the heart in her bosom almost turned to stone.

Never in all her life had she beheld such a vision of loveliness, and
she knew in an instant that the proud beauty must be Iris Vincent.

Slowly Dorothy crept around to the other side of the porch, up to the
window, that she might have a better view of them, and perhaps she could
hear what they were saying.

But as she reached it, to her great disappointment she saw them link
arms and stroll out of the ball-room toward the conservatory, and
thither she bent her steps, intent upon reaching it before they did.

She had barely screened herself behind a tall _jardiniere_ of roses and
flowering plants, ere, laughing and chattering, the two entered the
floral bower.

"The ball is a grand success, Iris," he was saying, gayly; "they all
seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. How is it with you?"

"It is a night that will stand out forever in my life," she responded,
glancing up at him with those dangerously dark eyes, and a smile on her
red lips.

The girl who watched them breathlessly from behind the roses clutched
her hands over her heart.

The sight maddened her. They were so near each other, their heads bent
so close; and while she gazed, suddenly Kendal bent still closer and
kissed the girl's lips.

Dorothy tried to cry aloud, to spring out and confront them. Her brain
reeled; the blood, chill as ice, stood still in her veins, and without a
cry, or even a moan she sank down unconscious in her hiding-place.

"What is that sound?" cried Iris, with a start.

"Only some of the clumsy servants in the corridor without," replied
Kendal. "But, Iris, are you trying to avoid me? I have brought you here
to tell you something, and you must listen. The time has come when we
must fully understand each other. You know quite as well as