in her
hand, what chance had the girls?

It might have been supposed that Miss Tredgold had done enough on the
first night of her arrival. She had to a great extent vanquished the
cook; and she had, further, told Verena and Pauline what lay before them.
Surely she might have been contented, and have taken her dip candle in
its tin candlestick and retired to her own room. But that was not Aunt
Sophia's way. She discovered a light stealing from under another door,
and she made for that door.

Now, no one entered Mr. Dale's room without knocking. None of the girls
would have ventured to do so. But Aunt Sophia was made of sterner stuff.
She did not knock. She opened the door and entered. The scholar was
seated at the far end of the room. A large reading-lamp stood on the
table. It spread a wide circle of light on the papers and books, and on
his own silvery head and thin aquiline features. The rest of the room was
in shadow. Miss Tredgold entered and stood a few feet away from Mr. Dale.
Mr. Dale had already forgotten that such a person as Miss Sophia existed.
It was his habit to work for a great many hours each night. It was during
the hours of darkness that he most thoroughly absorbed himself in his
darling occupation. His dinner had been better than usual, and that
delicious coffee had stimulated his brain. He had not tasted coffee like
that for years. His brain, therefore, being better nourished, was keener
than usual to go on with his accustomed work. As Miss Sophia advanced to
his side he uttered one or two sighs of rapture, for again a fresh
rendering of a much-disputed passage occurred to him. Light was, in
short, flooding the pages of his translation.

"The whole classical world will bless me," murmured Mr. Dale. "I am doing
a vast service."

"I am sorry to interrupt you, Henry," said the sharp, incisive tones of
his sister-in-law.

At Miss Tredgold's words he dropped his pen. It made a blot on the page,
which further irritated him; for, untidy as he was in most things, his
classical work was exquisitely neat.

"Do go away," he said. "I am busy. Go away at once."

"I am sorry, Henry, but I must stay. You know me, don't you? Your
sister-in-law, Sophia Tredgold."

"Go away, Sophia. I don't want to be rude, but I never see any one at
this hour."

"Henry, you are forced to see me. I shall go when I choose, not before."

"Madam!"

Mr. Dale sprang to his feet.

"Madam!" he repeated, almost sputtering out h