to tell."

"That is nonsense. There must be a thousand things to tell. At any
rate it is quite decided?"

"Yes; it is quite decided."

"All the dragons, old and young, are banished into outer darkness."

"Either that, or else they are to have all the light to themselves."

"Such light as glimmers through the gloom of Aylmer Park. And was he
contented? I hope not. I hope you had him on his knees before he left
you."

"Why should you hope that? How can you talk such nonsense?"

"Because I wish that he should recognise what he has lost;--that he
should know that he has been a fool;--a mean fool."

"Mrs. Askerton, I will not have him spoken of like that. He is a man
very estimable,--of estimable qualities."

"Fiddle-de-dee. He is an ape,--a monkey to be carried on his mother's
organ. His only good quality was that you could have carried him on
yours. I can tell you one thing;--there is not a woman breathing that
will ever carry William Belton on hers. Whoever his wife may be, she
will have to dance to his piping."

"With all my heart;--and I hope the tunes will be good."

"But I wish I could have been present to have heard what
passed;--hidden, you know, behind a curtain. You won't tell me?"

"I will tell you not a word more."

"Then I will get it out from Mrs. Bunce. I'll be bound she was
listening."

"Mrs. Bunce will have nothing to tell you; I do not know why you
should be so curious."

"Answer me one question at least:--when it came to the last, did he
want to go on with it? Was the final triumph with him or with you?"

"There was no final triumph. Such things, when they have to end, do
not end triumphantly."

"And is that to be all?"

"Yes;--that is to be all."

"And you say that you have no letter to write."

"None;--no letter; none at present; none about this affair. Captain
Aylmer, no doubt, will write to his mother, and then all those who
are concerned will have been told."

Clara Amedroz held her purpose and wrote no letter, but Mrs. Askerton
was not so discreet, or so indiscreet, as the case might be. She did
write,--not on that day or on the next, but before a week had passed
by. She wrote to Norfolk, telling Clara not a word of her letter, and
by return of post the answer came. But the answer was for Clara, not
for Mrs. Askerton, and was as follows:--

Plaistow Hall, April, 186--.

MY DEAR CLARA,

I don't know whether I ought to tell you but I suppose I
may as wel