," said
madam. "Now I must run. You can ring for some one to take away this
rubbish," she concluded, glancing at the boxes and papers that were
strewn about the room; then she went quickly out.

Edith obeyed her, and remained until the room was once more in order,
after which she went up to her own chamber to ascertain if the dress,
of which she had spoken, needed anything done to it before it could be
worn.

Unpacking her trunk, she drew a box from the bottom, from which she
took a pretty Lansdown dress, which she had worn at the wedding of one
of her friends nearly two years previous. She had nice skirts, and a
pair of pretty white slippers to go with it, and although it was, as
she had stated, somewhat out of date, it was really a very dainty
costume.

She laid everything out upon the bed, in readiness for the evening,
and then went down to her dinner, which she always took with the
housekeeper before the family meal was served.

Edith found Mrs. Weld looking unusually nice--although she was always
a model of neatness in her attire--in a handsome black silk, with
folds of soft, creamy lace across her ample breast, while upon her
head she wore a fashionable lace cap, adorned with dainty bows of
white ribbon.

"Oh! how very nice you are looking," Edith exclaimed, as she entered
the room. "What a lovely piece of silk your dress is made of, and your
cap is very pretty."

"I do believe," she added, to herself, "that she would be quite good
looking if it were not for those horrid moles and dreadful blue
glasses."

"Thank you, child," the woman responded, a queer little smile lurking
about her mouth. "Of course, I had to make a special effort for such
an occasion as this."

"If you would only take off your glasses, Mrs. Weld," said the young
girl, as she leaned forward, trying to look into her eyes. "Couldn't
you, just for this evening?"

"No, indeed, Miss Edith," hastily returned the housekeeper, her color
deepening a trifle under the sallow tinge upon her cheeks. "With all
the extra lights, I should be blinded."

"But you have such lovely eyes--"

"How do you know?" demanded Mrs. Weld, regarding her companion
curiously.

"Partly by guess--partly by observation," said Edith, laughing. "Let
me prove it," she continued, playfully, as she deftly captured the
obnoxious spectacles, and then looked mischievously straight into the
beautiful but startled orbs thus disclosed.

"Child! child! what are you doing?"