said, in a
caressing voice as she took Edith into her arms and kissed her upon
the forehead. "Let me thank and congratulate you--and you also, Emil."

At the sound of this name, Edith uttered a cry of dismay and turned
her glance, for the first time, upon the man at her side.

"You!" she gasped, starting away from him with a gesture of horror,
and marble could not have been whiter, nor a statue more frozen than
she for a moment after making this amazing discovery.

"Hush!" imperatively exclaimed Mrs. Goddard, who quickly arose to the
emergency. "Do not make a scene. It could not be helped--some one had
to take Mr. Kerby's place, and Emil, arriving at the last moment, was
pressed into the service the same as yourself."

"How could you? It was cruel! it was wicked! I never would have
consented had I suspected," cried the girl, in a voice resonant with
indignation.

"Hush!" again commanded madam, "you must not--you shall not spoil
everything now. The actors are all to hold an informal reception in
the parlors while this room is being cleared for dancing, and you two
must take your places with them--"

"I will not! I will not lend myself to such a wretched farce for
another moment!" Edith exclaimed, and never for an instant suspecting
that it was anything but a farce.

The face of Mrs. Goddard was a study, as was also her brother's, as
these resolute words fell upon her ears; but she had no intention of
undeceiving the girl at present, for she knew that if she threw up the
character which she had thus far been impersonating, their plot would
be ruined and a fearful scandal follow.

If they could only trick her into standing with the others to receive
the congratulations of her guests--to be publicly addressed as, and
appear to assent to the name of, Mrs. Correlli, she believed it would
be comparatively easy later on to convince her of the truth and compel
her to yield to the inevitable.

But she saw that Edith was thoroughly aroused--that she felt she had
been badly used--that she had been shamefully imposed upon by having
been cheated into figuring thus before hundreds of people with a man
who was obnoxious to her.

Madam was at her wits' end, for the girl's resolute air and blazing
eyes plainly indicated that she did not intend to be trifled with any
longer.

She shot a glance of dismay at her brother, only to see a dark frown
upon his brow, while he angrily gnawed his under lip.

She feared that, with his