used. Violent as it had been, it did not lose in
Mrs. Henley's colouring; and what made the effect worse was that she had
omitted to say she had overheard his language, so that it appeared as
if he had been unrestrained even by gentlemanly feeling, and had thus
spoken of her brother and uncle in her presence.

Mr. Edmonstone was resentful now, really displeased, and wounded to the
quick. The point on which he was especially sensitive was his reputation
for sense and judgment; and that Guy, who had shown him so much respect
and affection, whom he had treated with invariable kindness, and
received into his family like a son, that he should thus speak of him
shocked him extremely. He was too much overcome even to break out into
exclamations at first, he only drank off his glass of wine hastily, and
said, 'I would never have thought it!'

With these words, all desire for forbearance and toleration departed. If
Guy could speak thus of him, he was ready to believe any accusation,
to think him deceitful from the first, to say he had been trifling with
Amy, to imagine him a confirmed reprobate, and cast him off entirely.
Philip had some difficulty to restrain him from being too violent;
and to keep him to the matter in hand, he defended Guy from the
exaggerations of his imagination in a manner which appeared highly
noble, considering how Guy had spoken of him. Before they parted that
night, another letter had been written, which stood thus,--

'DEAR SIR GUY,--Since you refuse the confidence which I have a right to
demand, since you elude the explanation I asked, and indulge yourself in
speaking in disrespectful terms of me and my family, I have every reason
to suppose that you have no desire to continue on the same footing as
heretofore at Hollywell. As your guardian, I repeat that I consider
myself bound to keep a vigilant watch over your conduct, and, if
possible, to recover you from the unhappy course in which you have
involved yourself: but all other intercourse between you and this family
must cease. 'Your horse shall be sent to Redclyffe to-morrow.

'Yours faithfully,
'C. EDMONSTONE.'

This letter was more harsh than Philip wished; but Mr. Edmonstone would
hardly be prevailed on to consent to enter on no further reproaches.
He insisted on banishing Deloraine, as well as on the mention of Guy's
disrespect, both against his nephew's opinion; but it