llery at this moment. Ah! yes; here he comes. Now, quick! lean
forward. There! that tall gentleman with the fair lady on his arm. Lean
forward a little more, and you will see him quite plainly. The lady's in
a kind of pale mauve silk----"

Nell leaned forward with all a girl's eager curiosity; then she uttered
a faint cry, and drew back. The couple Mrs. Hawksley had pointed out
were Drake and Lady Luce. Drake!

"What is the matter? Did any one squeeze you? Did you see his lordship?"
asked Mrs. Hawksley.

"No," said Nell, trying to keep her voice steady. "I--I saw that
gentleman with the lady in mauve; but----"

Mrs. Hawksley stared at her.

"Well, that is the earl. That is Lord Angleford with Lady Luce Turfleigh
on his arm."

CHAPTER XXIX.

Nell sat still--very, very still. The vast room seemed to rise and sway
before her like a ship in a heavy sea; the lights danced in a mad whirl;
the music roared a chaos of sound in her ears, and a deathly feeling
crept over her.

"I will not faint--I will not faint!" she said to herself, clenching her
teeth hard, and gripping her dress with her cold hands. "It is a
mistake--a mistake. It is not Drake. I thought I saw him the other
night; it is thinking, always thinking of him, that makes me fancy any
one like him must be he! Yes; it is a mistake."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them and found
that the room had ceased rocking, and the lights were still, she leaned
forward, calling all her courage to her aid, and looked again.

A waltz was in progress, and the rich dresses, the flashing jewels
whirled like the colored pieces of a kaleidoscope, and for a moment or
two she could not distinguish the members of the glittering crowd; but
presently she saw the tall figure again. He was dancing with Lady Luce;
they came down toward the gallery end of the room, floating with the
exquisite grace of a couple whose steps are in perfect harmony, and Nell
saw that she had made no mistake--that it was Drake indeed.

She drew a long breath, and sank back; Mrs. Hawksley leaned toward her.

"Do you feel faint, Miss Lorton? It's very hot up here. Would you like
to go down----"

"No, no!" said Nell quickly, almost anxiously. She did not want to go.
It was agony to see him dancing with this beautiful woman, whose hair
shone like gold, whose grace of form and movement were conspicuous even
among so many graceful and beautiful women; but a kind of fascination