arraying herself in a cheap,
dark-blue silk suit, and a straw hat with a blue feather. Then she
carefully locked her bedroom door, and took the key with her when she
left the house.

Her ambition did not take any very high flights, although she did believe
herself to be a countess. She knew nothing of the splendid shops of the
West End. She only knew the Borrough and St. Paul's churchyard, both of
which she thought, contained the riches and splendors of the whole world.
She went to the nearest cab-stand, took a cab, and drove to St. Paul's
churchyard, (in ancient times a cemetery, but now a network of narrow,
crowded streets, filled with cheap, showy shops.) She spent the best part
of the day in that attractive locality.

When she returned, late in the afternoon, the canvas bag was empty and
the cab was full, for Rose Cameron, the country girl, ignorant of the
world, but having a saving faith in the dishonesty of cities, refused to
trust the dealers to send the goods home, but insisted on fetching them
herself.

She displayed her purchases--mostly gaudy trash--to the wondering eyes of
Mrs. Rogers, and then, tired out with her long night's journey and her
whole day's shopping, she ate a heavy supper and went to bed. Such
excesses never seemed to over-task her fine digestive organs or disturb
her sleep. After an unbroken night's rest she awoke the next morning with
a clear head and a keen appetite, and rang for the housekeeper to bring
her a cup of tea to her bedside.

While waiting for her tea she wondered if her "guid mon" would arrive
during the next twenty-four hours.

And that revived in her mind the memory of her supposed rival. During
the preceding day she had been so absorbed in the contemplation of her
newly-acquired treasures in jewelry and money that she had scarcely
thought of what might then be going on at Castle Lone.

Now she wondered what happened there; whether the marriage had failed to
take place; but, of course, she said to herself, it had failed. Lord
Arondelle would never commit bigamy--but _how_ had it failed? What
had been made to happen to prevent it from going on? And what had the
bride and her friends said or thought?

Above all, why had Lord Arondelle, married to herself as she fully
believed him to be, _why_ had Lord Arondelle allowed the affair
to go so far, even to the wedding-morning, when the wedding-feast was
prepared, and the wedding guests arrived?

It must have been done to