Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power

Chapter I - JEAN MUIR "Has she come?" "No,
Mamma, not yet." "I wish it were well over. The thought of it worries and
excites me. A cushion for my back, Bella." And poor, peevish Mrs. Coventry sank
into an easy chair with a nervous sigh and the air of a martyr, while her pretty
daughter hovered about her with affectionate solicitude.

"Who are they talking of, Lucia?" asked the languid young man lounging on a
couch near his cousin, who bent over her tapestry work with a happy smile on her
usually haughty face.

"The new governess, Miss Muir. Shall I tell you about her?"

- Excerpted from "Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power"