promise that she will never speak to her again,--Frederic
ought to take that as sufficient. That is, of course, mamma, unless
she has had anything to do with it herself."

"After this I don't know how I'm to trust her. I don't indeed. It
seems to me that she has been so artful throughout. It has been a
regular case of catching."

"I suppose, of course, that she has been anxious to marry
Frederic;--but perhaps that was natural."

"Anxious;--look at her going there just when he had to meet his
constituents. How young women can do such things passes me! And how
it is that men don't see it all, when it's going on just under their
noses, I can't understand. And then her getting my poor dear sister
to speak to him when she was dying! I didn't think your aunt would
have been so weak." It will be thus seen that there was entire
confidence on this subject between Lady Aylmer and her daughter.

We know what were the steps taken with reference to the discovery,
and how the family were waiting for Clara's reply. Lady Aylmer,
though in her words she attributed so much mean cunning to Miss
Amedroz, still was disposed to believe that that lady would show
rather a high spirit on this occasion; and trusted to that high
spirit as the means for making the breach which she still hoped to
accomplish. It had been intended,--or rather desired,--that Captain
Aylmer's letter should have been much sharper and authoritative than
he had really made it; but the mother could not write the letter
herself, and had felt that to write in her own name would not have
served to create anger on Clara's part against her betrothed. But
she had quite succeeded in inspiring her son with a feeling of
horror against the iniquity of the Askertons. He was prepared to be
indignantly moral; and perhaps,--perhaps,--the misguided Clara might
be silly enough to say a word for her lost friend! Such being the
present position of affairs, there was certainly ground for hope.

And now they were all waiting for Clara's answer. Lady Aylmer had
well calculated the course of post, and knew that a letter might
reach them by Wednesday morning. "Of course she will not write on
Sunday," she had said to her son, "but you have a right to expect
that not another day should go by." Captain Aylmer, who felt that
they were putting Clara on her trial, shook his head impatiently,
and made no immediate answer. Lady Aylmer, triumphantly feeling that
she had the culprit on the hip, did