ar she had gone since the day on the train when she had
opined that the girl who thinks of becoming an actress has to undergo
much that isn't nice. It so sympathized and rejoiced with the other in
her happiness that it was solace and inspiration at once to Elsie Moss,
who was living at a high and unhealthy pitch of excitement, and
welcomed, indeed craved greedily, anything in the way of approval or
sympathy. For the girl feared that if ever she should stop to
consider, she should find her heart a black well of wickedness. But
that she wouldn't do. She _would not_ stop to consider. She had her
chance now, the chance she had waited for all her life, and she wasn't
going to hazard it. She was going to make the most of it, let her
conscience go hang!

For her part, the real Elsie Marley was led at this time to consider,
and the more seriously. To her inexperience, it looked as if Elsie
Moss were very near the stage, as if another year might find her a
fixed star in that firmament. And what then? She would be independent
of Cousin Julia and the boarding-house, and might she not want to
resume her own name and make herself known to her own relations? Or
would she, out of her abounding affection for Cousin Julia, suffer the
present state of affairs to continue?

The girl pondered long and rather sadly over the dilemma, but always
inclined to the belief that the latter was really the only possible
sequel. It wasn't that the question of what would become of her in the
former instance was all-important; it wasn't that Elsie Moss would
probably not think of any other course of action. It was the fact that
some one very much like herself was needed here at Enderby. Mr.
Middleton depended upon her. Mrs. Middleton would hardly know how to
get along without her. Katy counted strongly upon her sympathy and
co-operation. And even Mattie Howe and Dick Clinton would miss her.

And, after all, didn't the fact of Elsie Moss's securing her heart's
desire almost immediately, together with the working out of her own
presence at Enderby to the satisfaction of a few very dear people,
quite justify the exchange they had made? Hadn't it really proved a
beneficent idea?

Arrived at this point, the girl was reassured. The only difficulty was
that the question didn't stay settled. It came up again and yet again
and the whole argument had to be redebated. And finally she came to
the conclusion that her wisest plan was to ward