"Good heavens!" said Cousin Jane.

"I beg your pardon?" said Uncle Sylvester politely.

"I only said, 'Good heavens!' Well?" she added impatiently.

"Well?" repeated Uncle Sylvester vaguely. "Oh, that's all. I only wanted
to explain what I meant by saying I had ridden in my sleep."

"But," said Cousin Jane, leaning across the table with grim
deliberation and emphasizing each word with the handle of her knife,
"how--did--you--and--that--mule get down?"

"Oh, with slings and ropes, you know--so," demonstrating by placing his
napkin-ring in a sling made of his napkin.

"And I suppose you carried the slings and ropes with you in your five
trunks!" gasped Cousin Jane.

"No. Fellows on the river brought 'em in the morning. Mighty spry chaps,
those river miners."

"Very!" said Cousin Jane.

Breakfast over, they were not surprised that their sybaritic guest
excused himself from an inspection of the town in the frigid morning
air, and declined joining a skating party to the lake on the ground that
he could keep warmer indoors with half the exertion. An hour later found
him standing before the fire in Gabriel Lane's study, looking languidly