h a sudden glimpse of Carr's face, pale and uneasy,
watching us in a mirror opposite. In a moment I saw his face turn
smiling to another--Evelyn's, I think--and both were gone.

Charles's light steel eyes were fixed full upon me.

"'Only the night before you came down here,' you were saying," he
remarked, leaning back and half shutting them as usual.

"Yes, only the night before I came down here our house was broken into;"
and I gave him a short account of what had happened. "And only the night
before _that_," I added, "a poor woman was murdered in Jane's old house.
I remember it especially, because I went to the house by mistake, not
knowing Jane had moved, and I saw her, poor thing, sitting by the fire.
I don't see that living in town _is_ so much safer for life and
property, after all."

"Dear me! no. You are right, perfectly right," said Charles, dreamily.
"Your sister's experience proves it. And that other poor creature--only
the night before--and in Miss Middleton's former house, too. Well,
Middleton," with a start, "I suppose we ought to be going back now. I
have got all I want, if you have. I wonder what time it is? I'm dog
tired."

We re-entered the ball-room to find the last valse being played, and a
crowd of people taking leave of Lady Mary.

"Where's father?" asked Charles, as Ralph came up. "He ought to be here
to say good-night."

"He's gone to bed," said Ralph. "Aunt Mary sent him. He was quite done
up. He has been on his legs all day. I expect he will be laid up
to-morrow."

In a quarter of an hour the ball-room was empty, and Lady Mary, who was
dragging herself wearily towards the hall as the last carriage rolled
away, felt that she might safely restore the balance of her mind by a
sudden lapse from the gracious and benevolent to the acid and severe.

"To bed! to bed!" she kept repeating. "Where is Evelyn? I want her arm.
General Marston, Colonel Middleton, will you have the goodness to go and
glean up these young people? Mrs. Marston and Lady Delmour, you must
both be tired to death. Let us go on, and they can follow."

General Marston and I found a whole flock of the said young people in
the library, candle in hand, laughing and talking, thinking they were
going that moment, but not doing it, and all, in fact, listening to
Charles, who was expounding a theory of his own respecting ball dresses,
which seemed to meet with the greatest feminine derision.

"First take your silk slip," he was