An Ambitious Man

ability to sleep under all conditions. The woman who can and does sleep eight or nine

ess heart enough or feeling enough

o sleep the most profoundly at night in times of sorrow, suffer the more intensely during their waking hours. Disguised a

he had experienced great cyclones of grief and loss in her varied career, though

tried all known recipes for producing slumber. She said the alphabet backward ten times; she counted one thousand; s

she said to herself as the night wore on, and the strange sensation of pain and loss which Prest

of the keen emotions which now drove sleep from her eyes. A long time ago, longer than she cared to remember, she had experienced such emotions, but she had supposed such folly only possible in the high tide of early youth. It was absurd, nay more, it was

g, the rasping hurt at her heart remained-a hurt so cruel

f a late September day which the year somet

im pause, too, and waited for the sound of the opening of his room door, which was situated exactly above her own. But she listened in vai

that she heard his step in the h

message for Mr Preston, the servant said, in answer to he

hen you rapped on his d

e, awake an

essing-gown and silken slippers, tiptoed lightly to his room. The bed had not been occupied the whole night. On th

elease me from the ties formed only yesterday-I am basely unworthy-" here the note ended. She now turned her attentio

omplete nervous prostration caused by the shock of this calamity. I wish you would come to us at once. I fear for my dear child's reason unless you prov

Lawr

ess's lips as she finished reading this note an

t water every morning as a tonic for her system, and another quart after breakfast to reduce her flesh.

ell vigorously. Maggie, the chambe

nown to the other servants as Miss Dumont) "t

not yet come do

en will you please

servants often made up for a deficiency in wages. Maggie ascended to Miss Dumont's room, and returned with

le curved the corners

e, and great was her surprise to find the Baroness m

ith her hands clasped behind her head, heard a light tap on he

he met the eyes of her visitor the young woman's pallor gave place to a wave of deep crimso

arked after a moment's silence. "I am surprised to find you

sion in the face of the woman before her, and how faded she appeared in the morning light. "B

Cheney never entered his room till near morning. Yet I can understand his wakefulness-he announced his engagement to Miss Mabel Lawrence to me last evening, and a young man is not expected to woo sleep easily after taking such an important step as that

d: "I think I will try to get a little sleep now,

pera, and settled to the task of removing as much as possible a

hardly know when it sheds its leaves. There are women who resemble the spruce in their perennial youth, and the v

laboriously over her own person an hour at least every day, and never employed a maid to assist her.

y for fifteen minutes, and that was followed by five minutes of relaxation. Next she lay on the floor flat upon her face, her arms across her back, and lifted her head and chest twenty-five times. This exercise was to replace flesh with muscle across the abdomen. Then she rose to he

e inhaled a long breath, and as slowly dropped to her heels, and lowered her arms while she exhaled her breath. While these exercises had been taking place, a tin cup of water had b

glare of cruel light which revealed every blemish in

," she observed as she peered at herself s

the eyelids, and an ugly line across the brow, and these were manipulated with painstaking care, and treated with mysterious oils and fragrant astringents and finally washed in cool toilet water and lightly brushed with powder, until at the end of an hour's labour, the face of the Baroness had resumed its roseleaf bloom and transparent smoothness for which

Judge Lawrence one of her most earnest, if silent admirers. As "Baroness Brown" and as the landlady of "The Palace" she had still maintained her position as friend of t

me, and this influence was not wholly lost upon the Judge himself, who never looked upon the Baroness's abundant charms,

ations with the mistress of the house, the servant admitted her to the parlour and announced her presence to Judge Lawrence, who left the bedside of the invalid to tell the caller in person that Mrs Lawrence had fallen into a peaceful slumber, an

, rose to go, feeling that her pre

ng that she was on the verge of serious mental disorder. I sent for her fiancé, Mr Cheney, and he has calmed her somewhat. You always exerted a so

condition of Miss Lawrence was indeed serious. She passed from one attack of hysteria to another, and it

n Cheney in a state of complete exhaustion was shown to a room

k with consternation to learn that Miss Dumont had packed her trunk an

e too long, was her only farewell. There was no allusion to her plans or her destination, and all inquiry and

or; and little this humble personage dreamed that Fate was reservi