June, Miss Beatrix Esmond, and my lady
viscountess, her mother, arrived from Castlewood; the former to resume her
service at Court, which had been interrupted by the fatal catastrophe of
Duke Hamilton's death. She once more took her place, then, in her
Majesty's suite and at the maids' table, being always a favourite with
Mrs. Masham, the queen's chief woman, partly perhaps on account of her
bitterness against the Duchess of Marlborough, whom Miss Beatrix loved no
better than her rival did. The gentlemen about the Court, my Lord
Bolingbroke amongst others, owned that the young lady had come back
handsomer than ever, and that the serious and tragic air, which her face
now involuntarily wore, became her better than her former smiles and
archness.

All the old domestics at the little house of Kensington Square were
changed; the old steward that had served the family any time these
five-and-twenty years, since the birth of the children of the house, was
dispatched into the kingdom of Ireland to see my lord's estate there: the
housekeeper, who had been my lady's woman time out of mind, and the
attendant of the young children, was sent away grumbling to Walcote, to
see to the new painting and preparing of that house, which my lady dowager
intended to occupy for the future, giving up Castlewood to her
daughter-in-law, that might be expected daily from France. Another servant
the viscountess had was dismissed too--with a gratuity--on the pretext that
her ladyship's train of domestics must be diminished; so, finally, there
was not left in the household a single person who had belonged to it
during the time my young Lord Castlewood was yet at home.

For the plan which Colonel Esmond had in view, and the stroke he intended,
'twas necessary that the very smallest number of persons should be put in
possession of his secret. It scarce was known, except to three or four out
of his family, and it was kept to a wonder.

On the 10th of June, 1714, there came by Mr. Prior's messenger from Paris,
a letter from my Lord Viscount Castlewood to his mother, saying that he
had been foolish in regard of money matters, that he was ashamed to own he
had lost at play, and by other extravagances; and that instead of having
great entertainments as he had hoped at Castlewood this year, he must live
as quiet as he could, and make every effort to be saving. So far every
word of poor Frank's letter was true, nor was there a doubt that he and
his tall br