y.

"Was I right about Julia now?" cried he, angrily. "I told you for whose
captivation all her little gracefulnesses were intended. I saw it the
first night he stood beside her at the piano. As Marion said, she is
determined to bring him down. She saw it as well as I did."

"What nonsense you are talking, Jack; as if Julia would condescend--"

"There 's no condescension, Nelly," he broke in. "The man is a Lord, and
the woman he marries will be a peeress; and there 's not another country
in Europe in which that word means as much. I take it, we need n't go on
to the cottage now?"

"I suppose we could scarcely overtake them?"

"Overtake them! Why should we try? Even _my_ tact, Nelly, that you
sneered at so contemptuously a while ago, would save me from such a
blunder. Come, let's go home and forget, if we can, all that we came
about. _I_ at least will try and do so."

"My dear, dear Jack, this is very foolish jealousy."

"I am not jealous, Nelly. I'm angry; but it is with myself. I ought to
have known what humble pretensions mine were, and I ought to have known
how certainly a young lady, bred as young ladies are now-a-days,
would regard them as less than humble; but it all comes of this idle
shore-going, good-for-nothing life. They 'll not catch me at it again,
that's all."

"Just listen to me patiently, Jack. Listen to me for one moment."

"Not for half a moment. I can guess everything you want to say to me,
and I tell you frankly, I don't care to hear it. Tell me whatever you
like to-morrow--"

He tried to finish his speech, but his voice grew thick and faltering,
and he turned away and was silent.

They spoke little to each other as they walked homewards. A chance
remark on the weather, or the scenery, was all that passed till they
reached the little lawn before the door.

"You'll not forget your pledge, Jack, for to-morrow?" said Ellen, as he
turned towards her before ascending the steps.

"I 'll not forget it," said he, coldly, and he moved off as he spoke,
and entered an alley of the shrubbery.

CHAPTER XVIII. A DULL DINNER.

The family dinner on that day at Castello was somewhat dull. The various
attempts to secure a party for the ensuing Saturday, which had been
fixed on to celebrate Jack's promotion, had proved failures. When Temple
arrived at Longworth's he learned that the host and 'his guest were from
home and not to return for some days--we have seen how it fared as to
the L'Estrang