Of course we both believed that Hal had been frightened by a
dream, and that his little brother had roared from sympathy. 'Don't
breathe a word of this to the servants,' whispered Mrs. Henniker. 'I'm
not such a fool, my dear,' I replied. 'But pray search the lower
regions, and see if Jane and Nancy have any visitor in the kitchen,' she
continued. 'She came through your door, mother, from the sitting-room,'
sobbed Hal, with eyes starting out of his head.
"'Who, love?' asked his mother.
"'The old woman in the black bonnet. Oh, don't go away, mother.'
"So Angela had to spend the remainder of the evening between the
children's cribs.
"'What can we do to-morrow evening?' asked she. 'I have it! Lucy shall
be put to bed beside Jack.' Lucy was our youngest, aged two.
"All went well next night. There was no alarm to summon us from our
papers and novels, and we went to bed at eleven, Angela remarking that
the three cherubs were sleeping beautifully, and that it had been a good
move to let Lucy bear the other two company. I was roused out of sound
sleep by wild shrieks from the three children.
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