treated with indignity, and before he had escaped from
the house had come to think that the Amedroz and Belton people were
somewhat below him. He endeavoured to go out without a noise, but
there was a slam of the door, without which he could not get the lock
to work; and Clara, up in her own room, knew all about it.

"Carriage;--yes; of course I want the carriage," he said to the
unfortunate boy at the public-house. "Didn't you hear me say that
I wanted it?" He had come down with a pair of horses, and as he saw
them being put to the vehicle he wished he had been contented with
one. As he was standing there, waiting, a gentleman rode by, and
the boy, in answer to his question, told him that the horseman
was Colonel Askerton. Before the day was over Colonel Askerton
would probably know all that had happened to him. "Do move a little
quicker; will you?" he said to the boy and the old man who was to
drive him. Then he got into the carriage, and was driven out of
Belton, devoutly purposing that he never would return; and as he made
his way back to Perivale he thought of a certain Lady Emily, who
would, as he assured himself, have behaved much better than Clara
Amedroz had done in any such scene as that which had just taken
place.

When Clara was quite sure that Captain Aylmer was off the premises,
she, too, descended, but she did not immediately leave the house. She
walked through the room, and rang for the old woman, and gave certain
directions,--as to the performance of which she certainly was not
very anxious, and was careful to make Mrs. Bunce understand that
nothing had occurred between her and the gentleman that was either
exalting or depressing in its nature. "I suppose Captain Aylmer went
out, Mrs. Bunce?" "Oh yes, miss, a went out. I stood and see'd un
from the top of the kitchen stairs." "You might have opened the
door for him, Mrs. Bunce." "Indeed then I never thought of it, miss,
seeing the house so empty and the like." Clara said that it did not
signify; and then, after an hour of composure, she walked back across
the park to the cottage.

"Well?" said Mrs. Askerton as soon as Clara was inside the
drawing-room.

"Well," replied Clara.

"What have you got to tell? Do tell me what you have to tell."

"I have nothing to tell."

"Clara, that is impossible. Have you seen him? I know you have seen
him, because he went by from the house about an hour since."

"Oh yes; I have seen him."

"And what have you