hat in acknowledging the
truth of it, he made a discovery of new powers in human nature.

General Ople studied Lady Camper diligently for fresh proofs of her
penetration of the mysteries in his bosom; by which means, as it
happened that she was diligently observing the two betrothed young ones,
he began to watch them likewise, and took a pleasure in the sight. Their
meetings, their partings, their rides out and home furnished him themes
of converse. He soon had enough to talk of, and previously, as he
remembered, he had never sustained a conversation of any length with
composure and the beneficent sense of fulness. Five thousand pounds, to
which sum Lady Camper reduced her stipulation for Elizabeth's dowry, he
signed over to his dear girl gladly, and came out with the confession to
her ladyship that a well-invested twelve thousand comprised his fortune.
She shrugged she had left off pulling him this way and that, so his
chains were enjoyable, and he said to himself: 'If ever she should
in the dead of night want a man to defend her!' He mentioned it to
Reginald, who had been the repository of Elizabeth's lamentations about
her father being left alone, forsaken, and the young man conceived a
scheme for causing his aunt's great bell to be rung at midnight,
which would certainly have led to a dramatic issue and the happy
re-establishment of our masculine ascendancy at the close of this
history. But he forgot it in his bridegroom's delight, until he was
making his miserable official speech at the wedding-breakfast, and set
Elizabeth winking over a tear. As she stood in the hall ready to depart,
a great van was observed in the road at the gates of Douro Lodge; and
this, the men in custody declared to contain the goods and knick-knacks
of the people who had taken the house furnished for a year, and were
coming in that very afternoon.

'I remember, I say now I remember, I had a notice,' the General said
cheerily to his troubled daughter.

'But where are you to go, papa?' the poor girl cried, close on sobbing.

'I shall get employment of some sort,' said he. 'I was saying I want it,
I need it, I require it.'

'You are saying three times what once would have sufficed for,' said
Lady Camper, and she asked him a few questions, frowned with a smile,
and offered him a lodgement in his neighbour's house.

'Really, dearest Aunt Angela?' said Elizabeth.

'What else can I do, child? I have, it seems, driven him out of a
gentleman