It was only towards morning that Alice dropped asleep: the consequence was that long after her usual hour for rising she was still sleeping. The opening of her door awoke her. It was Lady Sarah's maid who stood there. "Why, miss; are you not up? Well, I never! I wanted the key of the small jewel-box; but I'd have waited, had I known." "What do you say you want?" returned Alice, whose ideas were confused; as is often the case on being suddenly awakened. "The key of the bracelet-box, if you please." "The key?" repeated Alice. "Oh, I remember," she added, recollection returning to her. "Be at the trouble, will you, Hughes, of taking it out of my pocket: it is on that chair, under my clothes." The servant came to the pocket, and speedily found the key. "Are you worse than usual, Miss Seaton, this morning," asked she, "or have you overslept yourself?" "I have overslept myself. Is it late?" "Between nine and ten. My lady is up, and at breakfast with the Colonel and Lady Frances." Alice rose the instant the maid left the room, and made haste to dress, vexed with herself for sleeping so long. She was nearly ready when Hughes came in again. "If ever I saw such confusion as that jewel-case was in!" cried she, in as pert and grumbling a tone as she dared to use. "The bracelets were thrown together without law or order--just as if they had been so much glass and tinsel from the Lowther Arcade." "It was Lady Sarah," replied Alice. "I would have put them straight, but she told me to leave it for you. I thought she might prefer that you should do it." "Of course her ladyship is aware there's nobody but myself knows their right places in it," returned Hughes, consequentially. "I could go to that or to the other jewel-box in the dark, ma'am, and take out any one thing my lady wanted, without disturbing the rest." "I have observed that you have the gift of order," remarked Alice, with a smile. "It is very useful to those who possess it, and saves them much trouble and confusion." "So it do, ma'am," said Hughes. "But I came to ask you for the diamond bracelet." "The diamond bracelet!" echoed Alice. "What diamond bracelet! What do you mean, Hughes?" "It is not in the box." "The diamond bracelets are both in the box," rejoined Alice. "The old one is there; not the new one. I thought you might have taken it out to show some one, or to look at yourself, ma'am, for it's just a sight for pleasant eyes." "I can assure you it is in the case," said Alice. "All are there, except the pair Lady Sarah had on. You must have overlooked it." "I am a great donkey if I have," grumbled the girl. "It must be at the very bottom, amongst the cotton," she soliloquized, as she returned to Lady Sarah's apartments, "and I have just got to take every individual article out, to get to it. This comes of giving up one's keys to other folks."