And then, as I sat there, I heard the brisk sound of wheels, and a carriage drove by, and in it there sat a lady of a rather severe aspect and a girl. The girl glanced up at the inn as she passed; from out of a nest of white fur, there looked a face that made me come nearer to forgetting Lucy than anything I could have imagined. "That," said I to myself, "is Norah, and the other is Mrs. O'Callaghan. My dear St. Alleyne, I'll begin my part of the game this minute if it's to help you to win that child."
And indeed there was no time to be lost, for we had arranged that St. Alleyne was to call at eleven o'clock the next morning to see how things were getting on. I accordingly looked for a bell-rope, but, being unable to find one, I opened the door and called downstairs. Biddy came up light as a bird, and with a merry engaging smile on her face.
"THE GIRL GLANCED UP AT THE INN."
"Biddy," I said, "I feel ill, and I think I'll go to bed. I've caught a bad cold, and it may turn to fever with me."
"Lord save us!" she cried, "will I send for the docther?"
"No, I'll see how I am later. And, Biddy, at six o'clock, I might try to eat some dinner."
"To be sure, sorr," she said. "Can I do anythin' for ye now?"
"No," said I, pressing my hand against my forehead, "but if I want anything I'll ring."
"There's no bell," she said, "so you must just knock on the flure, an' I'll hear ye."