'Twas the fuss we made, searching for Jim's book last night, that set
you off, I suppose."
Grandmother and the girls burst in with a hundred questions; but the old
Squire said in a matter-of-fact tone:
"I used to walk in my sleep myself, when anything had excited me the
previous evening. Sometimes, too, when I was a little ill of a cold."
Then the old gentleman went on to relate odd stories of persons who had
walked in their sleep and hidden articles, particularly money, and of
the efforts that had been made to find the misplaced articles
afterwards. In fact, before we rose from the table he had more than half
convinced us that Addison's view of the matter--if it were his view--was
the right one.
Miss Emmons said very little and did not afterwards speak of the matter,
although Addison, to keep up the illusion, sometimes asked her jocosely
whether she had rested well, adding:
"I thought I heard you up walking again last night."
The incident was thus charitably passed over. I should not wish to say
positively that it was not a case of sleepwalking, but I think every one
of us feared that this devoted sister had made herself believe that,
since Jim would squander his money in drink, it was right for her to use
it for educating her brothers.
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