me in these troubles, with my poor good man in the hands of those cruel pirates, who may be making him work in chains for all I know,' and the tears came into her beautiful eyes.
'They will not do that,' said Major Delavie, eager to reassure her; 'I have heard enough of their tricks to know that they keep such game as he most carefully till they can get a ransom.'
'Your are sure of that!'
'Perfectly. I met an Italian fellow at Vienna who told me how it was all managed by the Genoese bankers.'
'Ah! I was just thinking that you would be the only person who could be of use-you who know foreign languages and all their ways. If you could go abroad, and arrange it for me!'
'If my daughter were restored-' began the Major.
'I see what you would say, and I am convinced that the first step towards the discovery would be to put Mr. Belamour under restraint, and separate his black from him. Then one or other of them would speak, and we might know how she has been played upon.'
'What does your Ladyship suppose then?' asked the Major.
'This is what I imagine. The poor silly maid repents herself and comes back in search of me. Would that she had found me, her best friend! But instead of that, she falls in with old Belamour, and he, having by this time perceived the danger of the perilous masquerade in which he had involved my unlucky boy, a minor, has mewed her up somewhere, till the cry should be over.'
'That would be the part of a villain, but scarcely of a madman,' said Betty dryly.
'My dear cousin Betty, there are lunatics endowed with a marvellous shrewdness to commit senseless villanies, and to put on a specious seeming. Depend upon it, my unfortunate brother-in-law's wanderings at night were not solely spent in communings with the trees and brooks. Who knows what might be discovered if he were under proper restraint? And it is to you, the only relation I have, that I must turn for assistance in my most unhappy circumstances,' she added, wit a glance so full of sweet helplessness that no man could withstand it. 'I am so glad you are here. You will be acting for me as well as for yourself in endeavouring to find your poor lovely child, and the first thing I would have done would be to separate Belamour and his black, put them under restraint, and interrogate them separately. You could easily get an order from a magistrate. But ah, here comes my woman. No more now. You will come to me this evening, and we can talk further on this matter. I shall have some company, and it will not be a regular rout, only a few card-tables, and a little dancing for the young people.'
'Your ladyship must excuse me,' said Betty, 'I have no dress to appear in, even if I had spirits for the company.'
'Ah! my dear cousin, how do you think it is with my spirits? Yet I think it my duty not to allow myself to be moped, but to exert myself for the interest of my son. While as to dress, my woman can direct you to the milliner who would equip you in the last mode. What, still obstinate? Nay, then, Harry, I can take no excuse from you, and I may have been able to collect some intelligence from the servants.'
Nothing remained but to take leave and walk home, the Major observing-
'Well, what think you of that, Betty?'
'Think, sir?-I think it is not for my lady to talk of villains.'
'She is in absolute error respecting Belamour; but then she has not seen him since his recovery. Women are prone to those fancies, and in her unprotected state, poor thing, no wonder she takes alarms.'
'I should have thought her rather over-protected.'
'Now, Betty, you need not take a leaf out of Mrs. Duckworth's book, and begin to be censorious. You saw how relieved she was to have me, her own blood relation, to turn to, instead of that empty braggart of a fellow. Besides, a man does not bring his step-mother when there's anything amiss.'
There was something in this argument, and Betty held her peace, knowing that to censure my Lady only incited her father to defend her.
For her own part her consternation was great, and she walked on in silence, only speaking again to acquiesce in her father's observation that they must say nothing to Mr. Belamour of my Lady's plans for his seclusion.
They found Mr. Belamour in the square parlour of the Royal York, having sent Eugene out for a walk with Jumbo. The boy's return in the most eager state of excitement at the shops, the horses, sedans, and other wonders, did something, together with dinner, to wile away the weary time till, about three hours after the Major and his daughter had returned, they were joined by the young baronet, who came running up the stairs with a good deal more impetuosity than he would have permitted himself at home.
'At last I have escaped,' he said. 'I fear you have waited long for me?'
'I have been hoping you had discovered some indications,' said the Major.
'Alas, no! I should imagine my Lady as ignorant as we are, save for one thing.'
'And that was-?'
'The pains that were taken to prevent my speaking with any of the servants. I was forced to attend on that harridan, Lady Aresfield, till my mother sent for me; and then she made Mar absolutely watch me off the premises. Then I had to go and report myself at head- quarters, and see the surgeon, so that there may be no colour of irregularity for the Colonel to take advantage of.'
'Right, right!' said the Major; 'do not let him get a handle against you, though I should not call you fit for duty yet, even for holiday- work like yours.'
'You still suspect that your mother knows where our Aurelia is?' said Betty. 'When I think of her demeanour, I can hardly believe it! But did you hear nothing of your little sisters?'
'I did not ask. In truth I was confounded by a proposal that was made to me. If I will immediately marry my mother's darling, Lady Belle, I may have leave of absence from her and my regiment, both at once, and go to meet Mr. Wayland if I like, or at any rate make the grand tour, while they try to break in my charming bride for me. Of course I said that, being a married man, nothing should induce me to break the law, nor to put any lady in such a position; and equally, of course, I was shown a lawyer's opinion that the transaction was invalid.'
'As I always believed,' said his uncle. 'The ceremony must be repeated when we find her: though even if you were willing, the other parties are very ill-advised to press for a marriage without judgment first being delivered, how far the present is binding. So she wants to send you off on your travels, does she?'
'She wishes me to go and arrange for her husband's ransom,' said the Major. 'I would be ready enough were my child only found, but I believe government would take it up, he being on his Majesty's service.'
'It is a mere device for disposing of you-yes, and of my nephew too,' said Mr. Belamour. 'As for me, we know already her kind plans for putting me out of reach of interference. I see, she communicated them to you. Did she ask your cooperation, Major? Ah! certainly, an ingenious plan for disuniting us. I am the more convinced that she is well aware of where the poor child is, and that she wishes to be speedy in her measures.'
There is no need to describe the half-frantic vehemence of the young lover, nor the way in which the father and sister tried to moderate his transports, though no less wretched themselves.
CHAPTER XXVIII. THE ROUT.
Great troups of people travelled thitherward
Both day and night, of each degree and place.-SPENSER.
Much against their will, Major Delavie and his
The reception rooms were less adorned than the lady's private apartment. There were pictures on the walls, and long ranks of chairs ranged round, and card-tables were set out in order. The ladies sat in rows, and the gentlemen stood in knots and talked, all in full dress, resplendent figures in brilliant velvet, gold lace, and embroidery, with swords by their sides, cocked hats, edged with gold or silver lace, under their arms, and gemmed shoe buckles. The order of creation was not yet reversed; the male creature was quite as gorgeous in colour and ornament as the female, who sat in her brocade, powder and patches, fan in hand, to receive the homage of his snuff-box.
Sir Amyas went the round, giving and returning greetings, which were bestowed on him with an ardour sufficient to prove that he was a general favourite. His mother, exquisitely dressed in a rich rose- coloured velvet train, over a creamy satin petticoat, both exquisitely embroidered, sailed up with a cordial greeting to her good
