Later she had reason to doubt it. Or rather, she became convinced of the contrary by the subsequent course of events, which need not be anticipated now. During what followed, one would say that she must have had misgivings that she was dreaming. But she seems not to have had many or strong ones; although she may have made use of the expression, "I could hardly believe I was awake," as a mere phrase of wonderment--just as you or I have used it before now. For when next day she described this experience to her cousin Volumnia, who had been much in her confidence during these last months, who said to her, "Of course, you _were_ asleep, because that is the only way of accounting for it reasonably," her reply was, "Then we shall have to account for it _un_reasonably, because I _was_ awake." "Well--go on, and tell," was the reply. This cousin Volumnia, the elder sister of that little monkey Jessie, was of course the grim big Miss Bax Miss Upwell had met at Lady Presteign's; and, as we have seen, she was a very determined person, one who would stand no nonsense. "Start from where the voice woke you, Cousin Euphemia," said she. She shut her eyes, and frowned, so as to listen judicially. "I _laid_ the _pho_tograph _on_ the _ta_ble," said Mrs. Aiken, with circumflex accents over every other syllable, which is how to tell things clearly. But Miss Volumnia said, "You needn't pounce. I can hear." So she became normal. "I was absolutely certain there was no one else in the room. And everything seemed as usual; not the least like a dream. But for all that ... you won't believe me, Volumnia..." "Very likely. Go on!" "For all that I heard a voice--the same voice that waked me up...." "Of course! You were still asleep. _I_ know. Go on! What did the voice say?" "No, I won't go on at all, Volumnia, if you're going to be nasty." "Oh yes, do go on. I'm greatly interested. But you must remember that we hear thousands of these things every week at the Psychomorphic. We had a very interesting case only the other day. A man heard a dog barking.... However, go on." "Very well, only you mustn't interrupt. What was I saying? ... Oh yes--the voice! I heard it quite distinctly, only very small.... Nonsense!--you know quite well what I mean.... What did it say? What I _heard_ was, 'Hold me up, and let me look at you.' Now I know, my dear Volumnia, you will say I am making it improbable on purpose...." "Not at all, my dear Euphemia! The case is commoner than you suppose, even when the subject is wide awake. Please tell it _exactly_ as you recollect it. Soften nothing." The implication was that Psychomorphism would know how much to take, and how much to reject. "I am telling it exactly as it happened. It said..." "What said?" "The picture said." "The picture! Oh, we hadn't come to that. Now what does that mean? The picture said!" "Volumnia!--IF you interrupt I can't tell it at all. Do let me go on my own way."