Mrs. Pool made her exit and wended her way to the nursery. She tapped
at the door--there was no reply--she opened it and went in--my lady
had quitted it, no doubt.

No--to her surprise my lady was still there. The window still stood
wide open, the white, piercing moonlight streamed in. An arm-chair
stood near this window, and lying back in the arm-chair was my lady,
fast asleep.

Fast asleep. Jane Pool tiptoed over to make sure. She was pale as the
moonlight itself. Her lips quivered as she slept like the lips of a
hurt child, her eyelashes were yet wet with tears. Sitting there alone
she had cried herself to sleep.

"Poor thing!" Jane Pool said again. She was so young, so pretty, so
gentle, that all the household loved her. "Poor dear thing! I say it's
a burning shame for Sir Victor, so fond as he is of her too, to let
Miss Inez torment her. _I_ wouldn't stand her hairs and her
'aughtiness, her temper and her tongue; no, not to be ten baronets'
ladies, ten times hover!"

In his pretty blue silk, white lace, and carved rosewood nest, Master
Victor lay still, sleeping also. Mrs. Pool softly folded a shawl
around her lady's shoulder, lifted babe without awakening him, and
stole softly out. The night nursery was an upper room. Jane Pool
carried him up, disrobed him, fed him, and tucked him up for the night.
He fell again asleep almost instantly. She summoned the under
nurse-maid to remain with him, and went back to the lower regions.
Half an hour had passed since she left; it struck the half hour after