was for the moment irritated at his lack of nerve, and then he quickly
bolstered himself up with the reflection that the day of destiny comes
only once in a lifetime and one would have arrived at a state of
vegetable stolidity to meet it unmoved. Then he laughed at himself for
clinging so obstinately to the belief that this was the day of his
destiny, and this laughter cleared his mental atmosphere. He was himself
again, in command of his self-assurance and good spirits.

His ring was answered immediately by the trim maid who conducted him
through a narrow hall and into a small reception-room where she requested
him to wait while she informed her mistress of his presence.

Left alone he glanced curiously about him. There was certainly no mystery
here. The room was agreeably light and sunshiny. It was furnished with
several comfortable chairs, and a large round table in the center of the
room. Upon this were scattered some of the latest magazines surrounding a
vase of fresh and fragrant flowers.

Hayden turned over the pages of one of the books for a moment and then
the dark-eyed, rosy, white-capped maid reappeared and announced that
Mademoiselle Mariposa would see him at once.

A few paces down the narrow hall, she drew aside the curtain before the
door of mademoiselle's consulting-room, and stood aside for Hayden to
enter, letting the portiere fall noiselessly behind him. But Robert
instead of advancing and taking a chair, although there was none to
invite him to do so, for the room was empty, stood transfixed upon the
threshold, almost open-mouthed.

Ah, here was the atmosphere he had so sadly missed in the small parlor.
This room was large, and it seemed to one entering it for the first time
to extend indefinitely, for upon the walls, against a soft, low-toned
background, were painted the bare trunks and branches of leafless trees,
a forest of them apparently, so admirable and so illusive was the
perspective. The eye seemed to plunge into interminable forest vistas of
dead leaves covering the ground and even floating on dim, moveless pools.
The rounded ceiling was painted with silver-edged clouds, and the only
light fell from a skylight like a great yellow moon.

When Hayden finally drew his attention from the walls and ceiling
sufficiently to realize that he was not in the autumn woods, he noticed
that this apartment was scantily furnished. Two or three chairs, a small
table or so. On one of these tables was a