the man. And now the time was come, the Queen's Abigail said: and now my
Lord Castlewood ought to be presented to the Sovereign.

After that scene which Lord Castlewood witnessed and described to his
cousin, who passed such a miserable night of mortification and jealousy
as he thought over the transaction, no doubt the three persons who were
set by nature as protectors over Beatrix came to the same conclusion,
that she must be removed from the presence of a man whose desires
towards her were expressed only too clearly; and who was no more
scrupulous in seeking to gratify them than his father had been before
him. I suppose Esmond's mistress, her son, and the Colonel himself, had
been all secretly debating this matter in their minds, for when Frank
broke out, in his blunt way, with:--"I think Beatrix had best be
anywhere but here,"--Lady Castlewood said:--"I thank you, Frank, I have
thought so, too;" and Mr. Esmond, though he only remarked that it was
not for him to speak, showed plainly, by the delight on his countenance,
how very agreeable that proposal was to him.

"One sees that you think with us, Henry," says the viscountess, with
ever so little of sarcasm in her tone: "Beatrix is best out of this
house whilst we have our guest in it, and as soon as this morning's
business is done, she ought to quit London."

"What morning's business?" asked Colonel Esmond, not knowing what had
been arranged, though in fact the stroke next in importance to that of
bringing the Prince, and of having him acknowledged by the Queen,
was now being performed at the very moment we three were conversing
together.

The Court-lady with whom our plan was concerted, and who was a chief
agent in it, the Court physician, and the Bishop of Rochester, who
were the other two most active participators in our plan, had held many
councils in our house at Kensington and elsewhere, as to the means best
to be adopted for presenting our young adventurer to his sister the
Queen. The simple and easy plan proposed by Colonel Esmond had been
agreed to by all parties, which was that on some rather private day,
when there were not many persons about the Court, the Prince should
appear there as my Lord Castlewood, should be greeted by his sister in
waiting, and led by that other lady into the closet of the Queen. And
according to her Majesty's health or humor, and the circumstances that
might arise during the interview, it was to be left to the discretion
of