nger" she must fail not in proving that undaunted courage was the
jewel of her soul.

When she looked out again, through the screen of palms, she could
distinguish individual faces in the great mass. There was Judge Brown
and Senator Ripley and Doctor Haverhill. And down in front, at the
reporters' table, was Orphant Annie. She couldn't help smiling as she
anticipated his surprise when he should see her taking Mrs. Blythe's
place. He was so close that he had already caught sight of her, and his
pale, prominent eyes were gazing at her with a solemn, quizzical
expression which made her smile. The thought of the surprise in store
for him steadied her nerves, and as she began to enjoy the humor of the
situation, gradually the loud knocking at her heart quieted. The buzzing
in her ears stopped. Her icy cold hands, which she had been holding
clenched, relaxed and grew warm again, and she came consciously out of
what seemed to be a waking dream.

Then the call of the hour marshalled all the forces of her mind in
orderly array. The vital words to say, the vital thing to do stood
clearly before her. With her fear all gone she looked out across the
house waiting for her summons to speak. When she rose it was with Mrs.
Blythe's "Godspeed" giving her courage. When she went forward, it was
with the exalted feeling of a soldier into whose hand a falling general
has thrust a sword, and commanded him to take a rampart. She would do it
or die.

CHAPTER VI

PHIL WALKS IN

Meanwhile, Phil Tremont, on the outer edge of the big audience, looked
in vain for Mary or for some one answering to the description she had
given of Mrs. Blythe. Several times he shifted his seat, slipping
farther around towards the stage. In one of the brief intervals between
speeches, while the orchestra played, he questioned an usher, and found
that Mrs. Blythe had not yet arrived, and that when she came she would
probably wait in one of the wings until time to be introduced to the
audience.

With an impatient glance at his watch he changed his seat once more,
this time to one in the section nearest the stage, but still in a back
row. He wanted to make sure of seeing Mary before she could see him. He
decided that if she did not make her appearance by the time Mrs. Blythe
arrived he would go back behind the scenes and look for her. Maybe Mrs.
Blythe would station her there somewhere as prompter, for fear that she
might forget her speech. If that were