strange thing happened. He had gone to the glass and bared his left
arm when a sudden faintness overcame him. He tried to shake it off
and sat down. Presently it left him and he felt quite as usual. Then
he made a second attempt. The same thing occurred again. This time it
was worse, and sight and strength failing, he sank on his own bed,
fainting. By a tremendous effort he prevented entire unconsciousness
from taking place and lay there half dressed and tremulous.
"Well, I _am a fool_! I can't help it. I can't try any more to-night,
for I am as weak and sleepy--if I can get up and undress it's as
much as I am capable of. But Bovey's all right. There's Lady Violet"--
turning his eyes to the photograph he had stuck in the looking glass
frame--"she'd thank me if she knew." Sweet Lady Vi--so good to all
around her--so good to me--dear Lady Vi, the loveliest woman in
England!
When Clarges awoke he was chilled and dazed, couldn't remember where
he was and what he had done. When he did recollect, he rose quietly,
extinguished the gas and made the room as dark as possible, in hopes
that Bovey might outsleep himself in the morning. Then he went to
bed properly, putting as a final precaution, his watch an hour in
advance. It thus happened that by Clarges' watch it was a quarter
past ten when he awoke. He rose first and bullied his cousin to that
extent that the latter tumbled out of bed and flung on his clothes
without indulging in his usual bath. At eleven the trap was due and
Bovey was all on fire, bundled his things around recklessly and
swore a little at Clarges for keeping him up the night before.
Clarges was nervous, but up to the present time was master of the
situation. At breakfast, Bovey discovered the mistake, but
attributed it to Clarges' carelessness in such matters aggravated by
a probable bad arm.
"Why I took your watch for an authority instead of my own, I don't
know," said he. "But last night I thought you were the clearer of
the two, in fact, I don't recollect winding mine at all, and it
seems now that _you_ were the delinquent." "Yes, I must have been,"
|