provided that her father and mother
would not be reconciled to their daughter after the marriage, that Mr
Selwyn had the means, by his practice, of supporting her comfortably
without their assistance. I considered that I did a kindness to
Caroline and to Mr Selwyn, and therefore did not hesitate; besides, I
had other ideas on the subject, which eventually turned out as I
expected, and proved that I was right.

On the last day of September, Caroline slipped out, and followed me to
Madame Gironac's; Mr Selwyn was ready with the licence. We walked to
church, the ceremony was performed, and Mr Selwyn took his bride down
to his father's house at Kew. The old judge was somewhat prepared for
the event, and received her very graciously. Mrs Selwyn and his
sisters were partial to Caroline, and followed the example of the judge.
Nothing could pass off more quietly or more pleasantly. For reasons
which I did not explain, I requested Mr Selwyn, for the present, not to
make known his marriage to Caroline's parents, as I considered it would
be attended with great and certain advantage; and he promised me that he
would not only be silent upon the subject, but that all his family
should be equally so.

If Mrs Bradshaw required two bottles of eau-de-Cologne and water to
support her when she heard of the elopement of Adele Chabot, I leave the
reader to imagine how many she required, when an heiress entrusted to
her charge had been guilty of a similar act.

As Caroline had not left with me, I was not implicated, and the affair
was most inscrutable. She had never been seen walking, or known to
correspond with any young man. I suggested to Mrs Bradshaw that it was
the fear of her father removing her from her protection which had
induced her to run away, and that most probably she had gone to her aunt
Bathurst's. Upon this hint, she wrote to Mr Stanhope, acquainting him
with his daughter's disappearance, and giving it as her opinion that she
had gone to her aunt's, being very unwilling to return home. Mr
Stanhope was furious; he immediately drove to Madame Bathurst's, whom he
had not seen for a long time, and demanded his daughter. Madame
Bathurst declared that she knew nothing about her. Mr Stanhope
expressed his disbelief, and they parted in high words.

A few days afterwards, the Colonel and Adele came to town, the three
months acceded to her wishes having expired; and now I must relate what
I did not know till some days a