Surely in this woman's nature there were depths which no one, who
had seen her the center of attraction in the thronged and brilliant
drawing-rooms in high-life, would have believed possible to her.

Suddenly, in the midst of this unusual outburst, there came a knock upon
the door.

The sound seemed to give her a terrible start in her nervous state.

She half sprang from her chair, a look of guilt and fear sweeping over
her flushed and tear-stained face, the table before her gave a sudden
lurch, and before she could put out her hand to save it, it went over
and fell to the floor with a crash, spilling its contents, and snapping
the lid to the secret compartment short off at its hinges.

"What is it?--who is there?" Mrs. Montague demanded, as she went toward
the door, while she tried to control her trembling voice to speak
naturally.

"What has happened?--I thought I heard a fall," came the response in the
anxious tones of Mona's voice.

"Nothing very serious has happened," returned Mrs. Montague, frowning,
for the girl, who so closely resembled the rival she hated, coming to her
just at that moment, irritated her exceedingly. "I simply upset something
just as you knocked. What do you want?"

"I only came to ask if I should finish your tea-gown in the morning, or
do the mending, as usual;" Mona replied.