’’Twas the word that he said—­this moment; before he pressed me to his heart.’

‘I thought you were fainting,’ said Johnny.

‘Sir!’ said Lady Demolines, as she spoke, shook her crest, and glared at him, and almost flew at him in her armour.

’It may be that nature has given way with me, and that I have been in a dream,’ said Madalina.

‘That which mine eyes saw was no dream,’ said Lady Demolines.  ’Mr Eames, I have given you the sweetest name that can fall from an old woman’s lips.  I have called you my son.’

’Yes, you did, I know.  But, as I said before, there is some mistake.  I know how proud I ought to be, and how happy, and all that kind of thing.  But—­’ Then there came a screech from Madalina, which would have awakened the dead, had there been any dead in that house.  The page and cook, however, took no notice of it, whether they were awakened or not.  And having screeched, Madalina stood erect upon the floor, and she also glared at her recreant lover.  The dragon and the tiger were there before him now, and he knew that it behoved him to look to himself.  As he had a battle to fight, might it not be best to put a bold face upon it?  ’The truth is,’ said he, ‘that I don’t understand this kind of thing.’

‘Not understand it, sir?’ said the dragon.

‘Leave him to me, mother,’ said the tigress, shaking her head again, but with a kind of shake differing from that which she had used before.  ’This is my business, and I’ll have it out for myself.  If he thinks I am going to put up with this kind of nonsense he’s mistaken.  I’ve been straightforward and above board with you, Mr Eames, and I expect to be treated in the same way in return.  Do you mean to tell my mother that you deny that we are engaged?’

‘Well; yes; I do.  I’m very sorry, you know, if I seem to be uncivil—­’

‘It’s because I’ve no brother,’ said the tigress.  ’He thinks that I have no man near me to protect me.  But he shall find that I can protect myself.  John Eames, why are you treating me like this?’

‘I shall consult my cousin the serjeant tomorrow,’ said the dragon.  ’In the meantime he must remain in this house.  I shall not allow the front door to be unlocked for him.’

This, I think, was the bitterest moment of all for Johnny.  To be confined all night in Lady Demolines’s drawing-room would, of itself, be an intolerable nuisance.  And then the absurdity of the thing, and the story that would go abroad!  And what would he say to the dragon’s cousin the serjeant, if the serjeant should be brought upon the field before he was able to escape from it?  He did not know what a serjeant might not do to him in such circumstances.  There was one thing no serjeant should do, and no dragon!  Between them all they should never force him to marry the tigress.  At this moment Johnny heard a tramp along the pavement, and he rushed to the window.  Before the dragon or even the tigress could arrest