of old ever fought and died for.
The latter-day one, politely curious regarding my pet, bent over to
accord a casual glance, but the vision meeting his eyes sent the blood
in a crimson wave over his tanned cheeks and caused him to draw back
with a start. It was inconsistent that he should have been so
completely abashed at sight of a fully-dressed sleeping girl who was
placidly unconscious of his gaze, when it was his custom to regularly
occupy the stalls and enjoy the choruses and ballets composed of young
ladies very wide awake, and wearing only as much covering as compelled
by the law; but where is consistency?

"I had no idea it would--er--be a young lady," he stammered, keeping
his eyes religiously lowered, and fidgeting in a palsy of shyness such
as used to be an indispensable accomplishment of young ladies in past
generations.

"Just take a good look, she'll bear inspection," I said.

"I'd rather not, the young lady might not like it."

"But I'm giving you permission, she's mine, and then run before she
discovers you have pirated a glance. I will keep the secret."

He lifted his eyes, but so swiftly and hesitatingly that I could not
be sure that he had discerned the beauty that was blushing half
unseen, instead of being displayed under limelight and drawn attention
to by brass trumpets in accordance with the style of this advertisemal
age.

As Ernest went out Andrew came in and awakened Dawn with a request to
make him some dough-nuts for tea, but she ordered him to go to Carry
as it was her week in the kitchen.

"Bust this week in the kitchen! A feller can hear nothing else, it's
enough to give him the pip; it ought to be put up like a notice so it
could be known," he grumbled as he departed.

That evening Mrs Bray made one of her calls, which were always more
good-natured regarding the length of time she gave us than the tone of
her remarks about people.

The famous Mrs Tinker, it appeared, from the latest account of her
vagaries, had enlivened the lives of Noonoon inhabitants by swearing
in a hair-lifting manner at one of the local shows because her horses
had not been awarded first prize, &c., &c.

Whether, as Carry averred, it was this conversation that did the
mischief or not, the fact remains that I became too faint to speak,
and the girls would not leave me all night. I lay that way all the
next day too, so that when Ernest called to make inquiries and
discovered my state he took a turn at mak