knee, and Hayden lifted it and lightly
kissed it. "Dear lady," he began, his voice a little broken.

"Oh, wait!" She lifted the same hand in admonition. "My support may not
amount to anything. Reserve your gratitude. Marcia is extremely reticent
about her own affairs, but, nevertheless, I can give you a crumb of
comfort. No matter what every one says, I am sure that she and Wilfred
Ames are not engaged and that she does not begin to see as much of him as
people think; and I do know"--again her voice was shaken with
indignation--"that there wouldn't begin to be as much of this unpleasant
talk if it were not for his mother's wicked, frantic fears. Why, what
does she wish? She might be glad, proud to have such a daughter-in-law as
Marcia. Oh, Mr. Hayden, I can't talk about it. It makes me too angry."

"Mrs. Habersham"--Hayden spoke with that quiet, forceful determination
which was under all his impulses the real key-note of his character--"I
desire nothing so much in the world as to be of assistance to Miss
Oldham. Can't we"--his smile had never been more winning--"can't we clear
away these cobwebs of mystery which surround her?"

"Ah," cried Bea Habersham, tears in her eyes, "we who love her all long
to do that."

"Then you will help me?"

"Oh, you give me hope that it is a possibility," with one of her radiant
changes of mood. "But," and she fell again into depression, "I can not
help you. You must do it all, all yourself."

CHAPTER IX

Even to the impatient heart of youth the longed-for, entreated to-morrow
comes with a suddenness which has its elements of shock. The Thursday
which Hayden had regarded as so remote was actually here, and he, opening
his eyes to the fact after a sound night's rest, was aware of that faint
shrinking which comes to us all in that moment of embarkation upon the
unknown and uncharted.

This day, he felt, was to be a day of revelations; in an hour, a moment,
he might, nay he was sure that he would, learn certain facts, touch
certain clues which might change and direct his whole future existence.
As he dressed he caused the various circumstances of the past few weeks
to marshal themselves in orderly array and pass in review before him.

He, by some irony of chance, had been so fortunate as to discover the
wonderful lost Mariposa, the Veiled Mariposa; but although a vast fortune
lay before his eyes, within his grasp, he was withheld from profiting by
this strange stumble upon G