one else," she said, appealingly.

"There is no time," said madam.

"Oh! but it seems almost like sacrilege to me, to stand before such an
audience and repeat words so solemn and significant, when they will
mean nothing, when the whole thing will be but a farce," Edith
tremulously remarked.

A strange expression swept over madam's face at this objection.

"You are absurdly conscientious, Edith," she coldly observed. "There
is not another girl in the house upon whom I can call--they are all
too large or too small, and the bridal costume would not fit one of
them. Pray, pray, Miss Allen, pocket your scruples, for once, and help
me out of this terrible predicament--the whole affair will be ruined
by this awkward _contretemps_ if you do not, and I, who have promised
so much to my friends, shall become the laughing-stock of every one
present."

Still the fair girl hesitated.

Some unaccountable influence seemed to be holding her back, and yet
she felt that it would be very ungenerous, very disobliging of her, to
allow Mrs. Goddard to be so humiliated before her hundreds of guests,
when this apparently slight concession upon her part would smooth
everything over so nicely.

"Oh, Edith! say you will!" cried the woman, appealingly. "You must!"
she added, imperatively. "Come to my room--the costume is there all
ready, and we will soon have you dressed."

She threw her arm around the girl's slender waist and almost compelled
her to accompany her.

The moment they were within Mrs. Goddard's chamber, the woman
nervously began to unfasten the young girl's dress, but her fingers
trembled so with excitement, showing how wrought up she was, that
Edith yielded without further demur, and assisted in removing her
clothing.

"That is good of you, dear," said madam, smiling upon her, "for we
must work very rapidly while the scenery is being changed--we have
just fifteen minutes"--glancing at the clock. "How fortunate it is
that I asked you to wear white this evening!" the crafty woman
remarked, as Edith's dress was removed, thus revealing her dainty
underwear, "for you are all ready for the wedding costume without any
other change. Here, dear, just help me, please, with this skirt, for
the train is so long it needs to be handled with care."

She lifted the beautiful satin skirt from the bed as she spoke, and
together they carefully slipped it over the young girl's head.

The next moment it was fastened about her waist, and t