"There, there, old lady; don't hold your hands to your ears as though a clean oath would poison them!" The Princess-mother fell back in her chair.
"Does she speak to me ?" she asked helplessly.
"Yes," said Wogan; and turning to Jenny, "This is the kind-hearted aunt." Jenny turned to Clementina, who was picking the cloak from the floor.
"And you are the beautiful heiress," she said sourly.

"Well, if you are going to put that wet cloak on your shoulders, I wish you joy of the first kiss O'Toole gives you when you jump into his arms." The Princess-mother screamed; Wogan hastened to interfere.
"Jenny, there's the bedroom; to bed with you!" and he took out his watch.

At once he uttered an exclamation of affright.

Wogan had miscalculated the time which he would require.

It had taken longer than he had anticipated to reach the villa against the storm; his conflict with Jenny in the portico had consumed valuable minutes; he had been at some pains to over-persuade the Princess-mother; Jenny herself amongst the trees in the darkness had waited more than the quarter of an hour demanded of her; Wogan himself, absorbed each moment in that moment's particular business,--now bending all his wits to vanquish Jenny, now to vanquish the Princess-mother,--even Wogan had neglected how the time sped.