"Oh, my dear lady, I hate to grieve you, but I can't bear to see you imposed upon any longer by that shameless girl! Oh, my dear mistress, where are your eyes that you can't see her disgrace? Oh, how I wish I had told all I knew at first!" cried Celine, wringing her hands, while tears fell from her eyes. Mrs. Desmond sprang up and caught her by the arm excitedly. "Speak! What is it that you know?" she cried, passionately. "Have I been deceived in Mary Smith?" "Yes, my dear lady--most cruelly deceived!" exclaimed Celine. "But she has certainly been kind to the child. Else Ruby would have complained," said Mrs. Desmond in perplexity. "Oh, yes, she was kind to the child, I admit, but it was all for a blind. And all the--all the while--oh, Mrs. Desmond, if you could only understand without my telling it," cried Celine, breaking off abruptly, with an appearance of grief and reluctance. The passionate, jealous heart of the listener caught the artful bait instantly. She gasped for breath, her brilliant face whitened to a marble pallor, and she caught at the back of a chair to steady herself. If Celine had not been utterly selfish and pitiless she must have retracted her cruel lie in the face of that utter despair on the beautiful face of her mistress. But the greed of gold overpowered every other consideration in her base mind. "Celine," the startled woman broke out, "do you mean to say that--my husband----" she paused, and her blazing eyes searched the woman's face. "Your husband loves her--alas, yes, my poor, deceived mistress," cried the maid. "The deceitful creature has won his heart from you." There was a moment's silence while Mrs. Desmond groped blindly in her mind for some tangible proof on which to pin her faith in her beloved husband. "Celine, you must be mistaken," she exclaimed. "You know we have been away from home almost the whole time since the girl came to us. She has had no chance with my husband." "Alas, Mrs. Desmond, you force me to tell you," sighed Celine. "Know, then, that it all began before you went south to Mr. Chesleigh. The very day after she came I caught Mr. Desmond kissing Mary Smith, with his arms around her waist." "Celine, will you swear to this?" gasped the unhappy wife. "I will take my Bible oath to its truth," was the emphatic reply. "Then God help me," moaned the stricken woman. "Celine, why did you not tell me all this before?" "I was afraid of master's anger," she replied. "He threatened me and I promised not to tell. Oh, my dear lady, will you promise to shield me from his wrath? I could not see you so imposed on any longer." "So the affair has been going on from bad to worse, Celine?" inquired her mistress, faintly.