he Lacemaker.]

"I can't stand this!" cried the Ensign. "Ho! Brownies, awake! Hi!
ponies, up! Shake the dew off your wings!" He leaped upon his own nag,
and followed by his dragoons, flew across to the Virginia creeper that
ran over the west wall and twined above the windows of the chamber where
Wille and Dido slept.

[Illustration: FIG. 140.--Madam Lacemaker Tries to Capture Ensign Lawe.]

It was the Ensign's hap to alight upon a leaf whereon a small and rather
dainty but vigorous Pixinee, named Madam Dictyna the Lacemaker, had
built a snug pavilion. Spite had set her as an especial sentinel upon
my lady Dido; and when Lawe and his dragoons made such a rude entrance
upon her domain she was sorely vexed. Shaking her lace frills and
skirts, she ran out from her tent and threatened the Brownies with high
bluster and rage.

But Lawe would not permit her to be attacked just then; he had other
work to do, to which the Lacemaker's presence only spurred him forward.
The party left their ponies outside, and crept through the slats of the
closed blind into the room. They mounted the bed-post, climbed atop of
the carved headboard, and began drumming with their feet and spears upon
the solid walnut.

"Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! Tat, tat, tat!"

Neither of the sleepers stirred.

"Louder, lads, louder!" shouted the Ensign. "Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! Tat,
tat!"

Still the weary couple slept.

"Stop!" called Lawe. "No use! Late hours--late supper--champagne! We
must wait and try something better. Away!"

As they descended the bed and scampered back to the window they were
greeted by a loud, prolonged nasal serenade from the unconscious pair.

"Puff! pu-ff-ff!--oo,--haw!" breathed Dido quite gently, indeed, after a
fashion which goes with some folk by the name of "boiling mush."

"Oo--oogh--ha--aw--_hogh!_" was the answering snore from the Governor's
nose, with a tremendous force upon the "hogh!" In fact, it came out with
such a sharp explosion, that Wille's head flew forward, and he awoke.

"Wife," said he sleepily--"I say, wife!" and here he gave Dido a little
tap under the chin. "Don't snore so loud, please! Why, I--I--really you
made a terrible racket. I thought at first that some one was pounding
the bedstead!"

Dido was quite awake now, and answered indignantly, "Snore indeed! You'd
better talk! Pounding the bedstead! It's too bad!" And thereupon the
little lady turned over sharply toward the wall, and composed herself to