It was not for her to laugh at her young mistress, in however ludicrous a situation she might be.
"Now," said Adele, "we will tie mademoiselle's ankles, and then we shall be ready for Mme.

de Montespan." The raillery in her voice had a note of savagery in it now.

Celia's vague terror grew.

She had a feeling that a beast was waking in the woman, and with it came a growing premonition of failure.

Vainly she cried to herself, "I must not fail to-night." But she felt instinctively that there was a stronger personality than her own in that room, taming her, condemning her to failure, influencing the others.
She was placed in a chair.