arried?"

"Pooh!" said Lilburne, raising his eyebrows with a slight expression of
contemptuous impatience; "it rests on yourself whether or not he prove
it to YOUR satisfaction! For my part, as a third person, I am persuaded
the marriage did take place. But if I had Beaufort Court, my convictions
would be all the other way. You understand. I am too happy to serve you.
But no man can be expected to jeopardise his character, or coquet with
the law, unless it be for his own individual interest. Then, of
course, he must judge for himself. Adieu! I expect some friends
foreigners--Carlists--to whist. You won't join them?"

"I never play, you know. You will write to me at Winandermere: and, at
all events, you will keep off the man till I return?"

"Certainly."

Beaufort, whom the latter part of the conversation had comforted far
less than the former, hesitated, and turned the door-handle three or
four times; but, glancing towards his brother-in-law, he saw in that
cold face so little sympathy in the struggle between interest and
conscience, that he judged it best to withdraw at once.

As soon as he was gone, Lilburne summoned his valet, who had lived
with him many years, and who was his confidant in all the adventurous
gallantries with which he still enlivened the autumn of his life.

"Dykeman," said he, "you have let out that lady?"

"Yes, my lord."

"I am not at home if she calls again. She is stupid; she cannot get
the girl to come to her again. I shall trust you with an adventure,
Dykeman--an adventure that will remind you of our young days, man. This
charming creature--I tell you she is irresistible--her very oddities
bewitch me. You must--well, you look uneasy. What would you say?"

"My lord, I have found out more about her--and--and----"

"Well, well."

The valet drew near and whispered something in his master's ear.

"They are idiots who say it, then," answered Lilburne. "And," faltered
the man, with the shame of humanity on his face, "she is not worthy your
lordship's notice--a poor--"

"Yes, I know she is poor; and, for that reason, there can be no
difficulty, if the thing is properly managed. You never, perhaps, heard
of a certain Philip, king of Macedon; but I will tell you what he once
said, as well as I can remember it: 'Lead an ass with a pannier of gold;
send the ass through the gates of a city, and all the sentinels will
run away.' Poor!--where there is love, there is charity also, Dykeman.
Bes