"Mary Wayne, whatever in the world has happened?"
Aunt Caroline glanced quickly from one girl to the other, then smiled.
"You two young people are so excited over this thing that you are getting your names mixed," she said.
Nell clapped a hand to her mouth, consternation in her eyes. Mary sighed, looked at Aunt Caroline and shook her head.
"No; we haven't mixed our names," she said. "You may as well understand all about it now, Miss Marshall. I'm—I'm an awful impostor."
Aunt Caroline showed more evidence of perplexity than alarm.
"This is Nell Norcross," said Mary, in a miserable voice. "I am Mary Wayne."
"Dear me!" said Aunt Caroline. "More things to be explained. Well, come back into the sitting-room, both of you. I suppose somebody has been making a fool of me again. But whoever you are, my dear, don't let me forget to tell your friend about my nephew William."
She led the way to the sitting-room. Mary and Nell exchanged glances as they followed. Aunt Caroline was bewildering.