e to his whereabouts."

"Should be happy to oblige you, my dear boy, but, unfortunately, I
cannot. I want to see him myself, if I could find any one good enough to
direct me to him. Is your business pressing?"

"Very--there is a lady in the case; and such business, you are aware,
is always pressing. Probably you have heard of her--a youthful angel,
in virgin white, who took a notion to jump into the Thames, not a great
while ago."

"Ah!" said Sir Norman, with a start that did not escape the quick eyes
of the boy. "And what do you want of her?"

The page glanced at him.

"Perhaps you know her yourself, sir Norman? If so, you will answer quite
as well as your friend, as I only want to know where she lives."

"I have been out of town to-night," said Sir Norman, evasively, "and
there may have been more ladies than one jumped into the Thames during
my absence. Pray, describe your angel in white."

"I did not notice her particularly myself," said the boy, with easy
indifference, "as I am not in the habit of paying much attention
to young ladies who run wild about the streets at night and jump
promiscuously into rivers. However, this one was rather remarkable, for
being dressed as a bride, having long black hair, and a great quantity
of jewelry about her, and looking very much like me. Having said she
looks like me, I need not add she is handsome."

"Vanity of vanities, all in vanity!" murmured Sir Norman, meditatively.
"Perhaps she is a relative of yours, Master Hubert, since you take such
an interest in her, and she looks so much like you."

"Not that I know of," said Hubert, in his careless way. "I believe I
was born minus those common domestic afflictions, relatives; and I don't
take the slightest interest in her, either; don't think it!"

"Then why are you in search of her?"

"For a very good reason--because I've been ordered to do so."

"By whom--your master?"

"My Lord Rochester," said that nobleman's page, waving off the
insinuation by a motion of his hand and a little displeased frown;
"he picked her up adrift, and being composed of highly inflammable
materials, took a hot and vehement fancy for her, which fact he did not
discover until your friend, Mr. Ormiston, had carried her off."

Sir Norman scowled.

"And so he sent you in search of her, has he?"

"Exactly so; and now you perceive the reason why it is quite important
that I find Mr. Ormiston. We do not know where he has taken her to, but
fanc