hands of her attendants, and went away contentedly, smiling under his mustache at the novelty of being turned away from his own door. He went back to Bellair, to Cora, and to the web they were[108] weaving, little dreaming whose hands would take up the thread and continue and complete what they had thus begun. [108] And now the day has come for Madeline to leave the shelter that she hates. Pale and weak, she sits in the great easy chair that had served as a barrier between herself and her enemy, and converses with Olive Girard while they await the arrival of Clarence Vaughan, who is to take them from the place so distasteful to all three. It has been settled that, for the present, Madeline will be the guest of Olive. What will come after health and strength are fully restored, they have not discussed much. Olive Girard and Doctor Vaughan had agreed that all thoughts of the future must bring a grief and care with them, and the mind of the invalid was in no condition for painful thought and study. So Olive has been careful to avoid all topics that might bring her troubles too vividly to mind. But partly to divert Madeline's mind from her own woes, partly to enable the unfortunate girl to feel less a stranger among them, she has talked to her of Doctor Vaughan, of her sister, and at last of herself. And Madeline has listened to her description of merry, lovely Claire Keith, and wondered what she could have in common with this buoyant, care-free girl, who was evidently her sister's idol. Yet she found herself thinking often of Olive's beautiful sister. Once, in the brief absence of Olive, she had said to Doctor Vaughan: "Mrs. Girard has told me of her sister; is she very lovely? And do you know her well?" "She is very fair, and sweet, and good. You will love her when you know her, and I think you will be friends." [109] [109] "Pale and weak, she sits in the great easy chair."—page 108. She had not needed this; the tell-tale eye was sufficient to [110]reveal the fact that it was not, as she had at first supposed, Olive Girard, but the younger sister, whom Clarence Vaughan loved.
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