‘How lovely she is!’ sighed Miss Bostock, as an intuition of their presence, even through her dreams, made Jenny turn restlessly and throw herself into another becoming attitude on the other side of the bed. ‘Yes! indeed, Clem; but I’m afraid I must rouse her,’ whispered Mrs Crampton. ‘Papa is really vexed about this business, and, if she doesn’t see him at once, I fear he may be more so. Jenny, my darling!’ she continued, going round to the girl’s side and laying her hand gently on her shoulder, ‘Jenny, dear love, wake up; there’s a dear! Papa wants to see you before he goes into the city.’ ‘Eh! what?’ said the girl drowsily, as she turned away, ‘it’s not time to get up yet. I’m so sleepy.’ ‘But, Jenny, love, try and rouse yourself,’ repeated her mother, rather tremblingly, ‘your father wants you, dear. He won’t keep you long. You need only put on a tea-gown and can come back and finish your toilet afterwards. Come Jenny, make an effort, love, for papa won’t be denied.’ The girl opened her big hazel eyes then, and stared stupidly at her aunt and mother. ‘You here, mamma!’ she ejaculated, ‘and Aunt Clem! What on earth is the matter? Is the house on fire?’ ‘No! no! dear, of course not, but papa wants to speak to you for a minute before he leaves home.’ ‘Then he must wait till he comes back,’ replied Jenny, as she closed her eyes again, ‘for I’m a great deal too sleepy to see anyone. Go away, do! mamma, and leave me alone. It’s a shame to go waking me in this way, when you know I was dancing up to three o’clock this morning.’ ‘I know, darling, I know!’ said Mrs Crampton, almost weeping, ‘and I wouldn’t have done it for the world, only papa insisted on it, and you know what he is when he’s set on having his way. Jenny, my dear; do try and rouse yourself a little, for papa says if you don’t go down and see him, he will come up here and pull you out of bed himself.’ At this intelligence, Miss Crampton did see fit to open her eyes a little wider, and sit up in bed. Perhaps her conscience warned her what this unusual severity on the part of her father might portend, but she looked exceedingly cross as she did so. ‘I never heard such nonsense in all my life,’ she exclaimed, ‘what can he have to say to me, that will not keep till dinner time? I can’t be down for half an hour, at anyrate, so papa must wait my pleasure. Where’s Ellen? She must come and help me dress! My goodness me, Aunt Clem,’ she broke off suddenly, as she caught sight of that lady’s sympathetic features regarding her wistfully from the foot of the bed, ‘don’t stand there goggling at me like a stork on one leg, or you’ll drive me out of my senses. Go and call Ellen, do! If I’m to see papa, someone must dress me. I don’t suppose he wants me to walk downstairs in my night-dress, though he is in such a hurry.’ ‘No! no! love, of course not!’ returned her mother, hastily. ‘Clem! call Ellen, and tell her Jenny is going to get up. Now, darling! what can I do to help you?’