Page:Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist (1844).djvu/209

"Well," said Sylvester, on leaving the house, "what am I to present to this poor girl? The thing had better be done at once. What is it to be?"

"Oh!" replied Tom, "bake her a presedt of adother ridg."

"She appears to have an abundance of them already."

"What id the jewellery lide has she dot ad abuddadce of?" returned Tom; "chaids, brooches, decklaces, earridgs—I cad't thidk of adythidg of the sort that she has dot got."

"Had she a bracelet on last night?"

"The very thidg! I rebebber dow she has doe bracelets."

"Then we had better go and buy a pair at once."

They went accordingly into the first jeweller's shop they came to, and having fixed upon a pair of a chaste and elegant pattern, they purchased them, and then went direct to the hospital.

Now, before they arrived—before they could have arrived there, a cab drew up to the door of Dr. Delolme, and when the driver had given his customary knock—a knock which quite frightened the occupant of the cab, who felt really very nervous on being announced in a style which he conceived to be so dreadfully distingue—James came to the door, and then went to the cab, and, having satisfactorily answered two questions, was presented with the card of the Reverend Edward Rouse. James opened the door for the reverend gentleman to alight, and he alighted; and drew out his purse. The fare was a shilling, but as he had been, by that knock, convinced that the driver conceived him to be some highly important personage, he gave him half a crown: which was very incorrect of the reverend gentleman, for, had that cabman known why the extra fare was given, he'd have subsequently split, if he hadn't smashed in, every door it became his duty to knock at. The reverend gentleman, however, unconscious of that fact, gave the half-crown, and, having followed James in, was shown into one of the parlours.

"Good gracious!" exclaimed Aunt Eleanor, when James had delivered the card; "is it possible?"

"Anything the matter, my dear?" inquired Mrs. Delolme.

"I fear there is something," replied Aunt Eleanor; "I very much fear it, for Mr. Rouse, of whom you have heard me speak, dear, has come unexpectedly from Cotherstone."

"Indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. Delolme; "I'm quite delighted. Pray do not let him go, dear, until you have introduced him."

Aunt Eleanor left the room; and on entering the parlour, she at once grasped the hands of the reverend gentleman, with an expression of cordiality mingled with apprehension.

"My dear, dear friend!" she exclaimed. "Why, when did you arrive?"

"I came by the coach," replied the reverend gentleman; "the same coach as that which you came by."

"Well: I'm much pleased to see you: is all right at home?"

"Oh! quite right: quite right! Why, really," he added, with a playful expression, "you must, indeed you must, be very wicked, for since you left us, the village has been as tranquil as possible: no noises, no annoyances, no apparitions: no; nothing at all of the sort."

Aunt Eleanor was sad. She could have wept; but would not do so then.

"Well now," he continued, "I only came this evening just to say,