ten o'clock before
Then he had to be fed , and begged to have his moustache curtailed , so as to facilitate the task . Two little hands , a comb , and a pair of scissors went to work , and , without annihilating the hirsute adornment , so trimmed it as to reveal a well-curved upper lip , hitherto almost invisible . It is astonishing what a sense of proprietorship this `` barberous operation , '' as she termed it , developed in the heiress , who thought more of it than of her prospective thousands . It was past ten o'clock before she consented to yield her post to the devoted Wilkinson , who already began to look upon her as a sister , and to whom she gave directions , with all the gravity and superior dignity of an experienced nurse . The colonel would willingly have taken his turn in the sick room , but Mr. Terry , Mr. Douglas , and the Squire insisted on relieving him . Mr. Bangs was away with Ben Toner and two guns hunting for the Grinstun man . The watchers got along very well through the night , with the exception of the veteran , who was a little too liberal in the application of stimulants , which led to a reappearance of fever , and necessitated his calling in the aid of the ever-willing and kindly Honoria .