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"Why, it is possible. Add it certaidly does appear to be albost ibpossible that, while you were doidg all this, I should dot have discovered that you were asleep."

"Might not the purpose for which you sat up, have induced you to dream on the subject?"

"If I slept, it bight; but I dod't believe I wedt to sleep at all. Add yet I cad't, od the other hadd, thidk that you could thus have deceived be. However, we'll talk the batter over agaid by-add-bye. Get up, add let's have a good breakfast. I'll go add have a wash; you'll dot be lodg?"

"I'll be down in ten minutes."

Tom then left the room, and Sylvester rose and dressed himself, thoughtfully, and went down to breakfast, but although they went over the matter again, conviction was not the result.

Sylvester, notwithstanding, felt justified in naming the subject to his solicitor, who was pleased with the idea of being able to plead somnambulism, but then he wanted absolute proof. Tom's evidence, under the circumstances, he feared, would be insufficient: still he resolved to see him on the subject, and accordingly called in the course of the day.

"Mr. Delolme," said he, "Mr. Sound has just informed me of that affair which occurred last night, or, rather, this morning, while you were sitting up. He imagines, as you are aware, that he is a somnambulist, and if we can absolutely prove him to be one, we can put in an excellent plea to this action, which can now be defended only by a plain blunt negative. Now, can you conscientiously declare that he is a somnambulist?"

"Doe," replied Tom; "I have by doubts still. If he be dot a sobdabbulist, it is, iddeed, stradge: if he be, add cabe idto the roob id which I was sittidg, dradk, sboked, add codversed—as I ibagided he did—without idspiridg be with a sidgle thought of his beidg asleep, it is equally stradge; but whether, id reality, he is a sobdabbulist or dot, I cad't, at presedt, uddertake to say. I will, however, discover the fact, if, iddeed, the discovery be possible; add I have, with that view, laid by plads for to dight, of which plads I bead to keep hib id igdoradce. If, as I suspect, he be wud who, id his sleep, recollects all that passes while he is awake, he is certaid to frustrate every schebe that bay happed to be codceived with his kdowledge. He shall, therefore, kdow dothidg whatever about it. I'll retire to by owd roob, as usual, to dight, add I hope that, id the bordidg, I shall have the proof required."

"I hope so too, for, at present, all we can do is to put in a flat denial, and I fear that, as Sir Charles is no ordinary man, and as we can find nothing whatever against the character of his butler—whose career we have traced from his infancy, upwards—a mere denial of the facts sworn to will have no effect. If we could but get this proof of Sound's somnambulism, we should be able, with confidence, to go into court; but the proof must be absolute to do any good: suspicion alone will be of no use at all."

"I perceive," observed Tom, "the ibportadce of the proof, add if it