"I did once, too!" rejoined Archie, with a sort of sluggish eagerness.

"You did--when?" demanded she, with the beginning of a heart-beat.

"I think I did--once--when I was asleep."

She laughed shortly and turned away. "Yes, sleep is the best thing for you,
Archie; you had better sleep all the time now; it will be too late to wake
up to-morrow. Good-night, Archie."




VIII.


Old Miss Tremount had come up from Cornwall for the occasion, accompanied
by her poodle, her female toady, and her father confessor. The good lady
had altered her will some years before, on hearing of her favorite
nephew's changed condition, and it was feared she would leave her money to
the Church of Rome, of which she was a member. But on receiving the
announcement of her intended visit, Lady Malmaison had begun to entertain
hopes that Sir Edward might succeed in so favorably impressing his aunt as
to induce her to divert at least some portion of her thousands in his
direction. But it is not likely that Miss Tremount had come to Malmaison
with any such views; in fact, her reason for coming had little or no
connection with the late baronet's family. It was not generally known
that, between forty and fifty years previously, there had been tender
passages between Colonel Battledown and this snuffy old maid, whose soul
was now divided between her cards and her psalter. So it was, however;