[Pg 75] "Cecily," said Marcia, suddenly, "what does Miss Benedict look like, anyhow? Do you ever see her without that veil? Isn't she very old and plain?" "Why, no," answered Cecily, simply. "She's very beautiful." "What!" they gasped in chorus. "Yes, I was surprised too, that day I came. After the driver had brought my box into the hall (she wouldn't let him take it any farther), and she had shut the door behind him and we were left alone, she seemed to—to hesitate, but at last she raised her hands and took off her bonnet and veil. I don't know what I expected, but I was surprised to see such a lovely face. Her hair is gray, almost white, and so soft and wavy. And yet she has rosy cheeks, and white teeth, and the most beautiful big gray eyes. And her voice is very sweet, too. Do you know, I believe if she'd only let me, I could just love her, but she holds me off as if[Pg 76] she were somehow afraid of me. It's all very strange." [Pg 76] The girls were completely nonplussed by this latest bit of information, and found it hard to couple Cecily's attractive picture with the little black-robed and veiled figure that they knew as Miss Benedict. The voice alone tallied, and Marcia recounted how she had once met Miss Benedict in the little grocery-shop. Suddenly, however, she was struck by a new thought, and demanded: "But how about the other one?" Cecily opened her eyes wide. "Other one?" she queried. "Oh, you mean the other person in the house?" "Why, yes," said Marcia. "The other old lady who sits in the room on the second floor." "Oh, is it an old lady?" inquired Cecily, in surprise. "Why, of course! Didn't you know it?" exclaimed Marcia. "I knew there was some one in there—some invalid. For Miss Benedict has always warned me to be very quiet in going by that[Pg 77] door, because some one was ill in there. But she never told me who it was, nor anything more about her. She always waits on her herself. Even when her ankle was hurting her so, she would drag herself out of bed many times a day to go into that room. But tell me, how did you know there was an old lady in there?" [Pg 77] Then Marcia recounted what she had seen on the
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