seemed that Susan was awakened one
night by the sound of voices, and, opening her door softly, saw a figure
which she at first supposed to be the Senor Perkins, but which she now
was satisfied was poor Mr. Hurlstone. As there was no one else to be
seen, the voices must have proceeded from that single figure; and being
in a strange and unknown tongue, were inexpressibly weird and awful.
When pressed to remember what was said, she could only distinguish one
word--a woman's name--Virgil--Vigil--no: Virginescia!

"It must have been one of those creatures at Callao, whose pictures you
can buy for ten cents," said Mrs. Brimmer.

"If it is one of them, Susan must have made a mistake in the first two
syllables of the name," said Mrs. Markham grimly.

"But surely, Miss Keene," said Miss Chubb, turning to that young lady,
who had taken only the part of a passive listener to this colloquy, and
was gazing over the railing at the sinking sun, "surely YOU can tell
us something about this poor young man. If I don't mistake, you are the
only person he ever honored with his conversation."

"And only once, I think," said the young girl, slightly coloring. "He
happened to be sitting next to me on deck, and I believe he spoke only
out of politeness. At least, he seemed very quiet and reserved, and
talked on general topics, and I thought very intelligently. I--should
have thought--I mean," she continued hesitatingly--"I thought he was an
educated gentleman."

"That isn't at all inconsistent with photographs or sleep-walking," said
Mrs. Brimmer, with one of her vague simplicities. "Uncle Quincey brought
home a whole sheaf of those women whom he said he'd met; and one of my
cousins, who was educated at Heidelberg, used to walk in his sleep, as
it were, all over Europe."

"Did you notice anything queer in his eyes, Miss Keene?" asked Miss
Chubb vivaciously.

Miss Keene had noticed that his eyes were his best feature, albeit
somewhat abstracted and melancholy; but, for some vague reason she could
not explain herself, she answered hurriedly that she had seen nothing
very particular in them.

"Well," said Mrs. Markham positively, "when he's able to be out again,
I shall consider it my duty to look him up, and try to keep him
sufficiently awake in the daytime to ensure his resting better at
night."

"No one can do it, dear Mrs. Markham, better than you; and no one would
think of misunderstanding your motives," said Mrs. Brimmer sweetly