eight as she descended the stairs.

"I'm sore afraid my lady will catch cold sleeping in the night air.
I do think now I ought to go in and wake her."

While she stood hesitating before it, the door opened suddenly and
Miss Catheron came out. She was very pale. Jane Pool was struck by it,
and the scarlet shawl she wore twisted about her, made her face look
almost ghastly in the lamplight.

"_You_ here?" she said, in her haughty way. "What do you want? Where
is baby?"

"Baby's asleep, miss, for the night," Jane answered, with a stiff
little curtsey; "and what I'm here for, is to wake my lady. Sleeping
in a draught cannot be good for anybody. But perhaps she is awake."

"You will let my lady alone," said Miss Catheron sharply, "and attend
to your nursery. She is asleep still. It is not _your_ place to
disturb her. Go!"

"Drat her!" Nurse Pool exclaimed inwardly, obeying, however; "she's
that 'aughty and that stuck up, that she thinks we're the dirt under
her feet. I only hope she'll be sent packing to-morrow, but I has my
doubts. Sir Victor's afraid of her--anybody can see that with half an
eye."

She descended to the servants' regions again, and encountered Ellen,
Lady Catheron's smart maid, sociably drinking tea with the housekeeper.
And once more into their attentive ears she poured forth this addenda