er hands
crossed in her lap, gazing intently at the window, where she had seen
Pluma standing with Rex, her husband.

A hand turned the knob of her door.

"Oh, dear me," cried Gertie, "you are all in the dark. I do not see
you. Are you here, Daisy Brooks?"

"Yes," said Daisy, controlling her voice by a violent effort. "Won't
you sit down? I will light the gas."

"Oh, no, indeed!" cried Gertie. "I came up to ask you if you would
please sew a little on my ball dress to-night. I can not use it just
now; still, there is no need of putting it away half finished."

Sew on a ball dress while her heart was breaking! Oh, how could she do
it? Quietly she followed Gertie to her pretty little blue and gold
boudoir, making no remonstrance. She was to sew on a ball dress while
the heiress of Whitestone Hall was consoling her young husband in his
bitter sorrow?

The shimmering billows of silk seemed swimming before her eyes, and
the frost-work of seed-pearls to waver through the blinding tears that
would force themselves to her eyes. Eve was not there. How pitifully
lonely poor Daisy felt! The face, bent so patiently over the lilac
silk, had a strange story written upon it. But the two girls,
discussing the events of the day, did not glance once in her
direction; their thoughts and conversation were of the handsome young
heiress and Rex.

"For once in your life you were wrong," said Bess. "The way affairs
appear now does not look much like a broken-off marriage, I can assure
you."

"Those who have seen her say she is peculiarly beautiful and
fascinating, though cold, reserved, and as haughty as a queen," said
Gertie.

"Cold and reserved," sneered Bess. "I guess you would not have thought
so if you had been at the drawing-room window to-day and seen her
bending over Rex so lovingly. I declare I expected every moment to see
her kiss him."

The box which held the seed-pearls dropped to the floor with a crash,
and the white, glistening beads were scattered about in all
directions.

"Why, what a careless creature you are, Daisy Brooks!" cried Gertie,
in dismay. "Just see what you have done! Half of them will be lost,
and what is not lost will be smashed, and I had just enough to finish
that lily on the front breadth and twine among the blossoms for my
hair. What do you suppose I'm going to do now, you provoking girl? It
is actually enough to make one cry."

"I am so sorry," sighed Daisy, piteously.

"Sorry! Will that br