The suddenness of this question, coming so quickly after the rambling discourse, made Laura start and colour. She was a fair, pretty girl, with yellow hair and a creamy complexion. Her eyes were dark, her mouth delightful, and her nose was "tip-tilted like the petal of a flower," to quote her favourite poet. Not a particularly original girl either in looks or character, but charming and sympathetic. Laura had a wide circle of friends who all loved her, but no one could call her clever. But she was so womanly that men liked her. "I am quite well, Mrs. Baldwin," she declared; "only I did not sleep much last night." "Dreams! dreams!" moaned Mrs. Baldwin. "I had horrible dreams about you. I fancied I saw you eating bananas. Every one knows that means trouble. But pine-apples growing in ice are the worst," said Mrs. Baldwin. "I have never dreamed that. Trouble is coming to you." "Don't!" cried Laura, starting to her feet, and with an anxious air; "please don't! I think dreams are nonsense." "No," said Mrs. Baldwin, producing a small book from under her sofa pillow. "Read this, and see what it means to dream of sparrows pecking cats to death." Laura laughed. "I should rather think the cats would eat the birds." "Not in a dream. Everything goes by contraries in dreams. Before John Baldwin ran away, I dreamed he was rushing into my arms, crowned with honeysuckle. But that day he went. Didn't your walk last night do you good?" "No," said Laura shortly, then went on with some hesitation. "I was away only for half an hour." "Where did you go?" "Across the fields." "Thinking of Mr. Calvert, no doubt," said Mrs. Baldwin playfully. Laura grew red, and on another occasion would have resented this remark about the young gentleman mentioned by Mrs. Baldwin. But at this moment she appeared to be rather glad of the suggestion. "I _was_ thinking of him," she assented. "A very nice young man, though he is an actor." "Why shouldn't he be an actor?" demanded Laura angrily. "There! there!" said Mrs. Baldwin soothingly; and aggravatingly, "We know that love levels all ranks." "Arnold Calvert is a gentleman." "Your sister, Mrs. Fane, doesn't think so. She expressed herself much annoyed that he should pay his addresses to you." "Julia can mind her own business," said Laura angrily. "She married Mr. Fane, and he wasn't a very good match." "No indeed. Your sister had the money." "And I have money also. Quite enough for Arnold and I to live on, as you----" Here Laura held her tongue. She really did not see why she should tell Mrs. Baldwin all her private affairs. But when the heart is very full, the tongue will speak out. Luckily at this moment there was another outburst of noise overhead, and Mrs. Baldwin moaned three times. "The bad twins are persecuting the good ones, and the odd ones are looking on," she lamented. "Do go up and see, Miss Mason."