'

She stopped and coloured.

'Evan!'

The child descended rapidly to the ground.

A bow and a few murmured words replied to her.

'Isn't this just like you, my dear Evan? Shouldn't I know that whenever
I met you, you would be doing something kind? How did you come here? You
were on your way to Beckley!'

'To London,' said Evan.

'To London! and not coming over to see me--us?'

Here the little fellow's father intervened to claim his offspring, and
thank the lady and the gentleman: and, with his penny firmly grasped,
he who had brought the lady and the gentleman together, was borne off a
wealthy human creature.

Before much further could be said between them, the Countess de Saldar
drove up.

'My dearest Rose!' and 'My dear Countess!' and 'Not Louisa, then?'
and, 'I am very glad to see you!' without attempting the endearing
'Louisa'--passed.

The Countess de Saldar then admitted the presence of her brother.

'Think!' said Rose. 'He talks of going on straight from here to London.'

'That pretty pout will alone suffice to make him deviate, then,' said
the Countess, with her sweetest open slyness. 'I am now on the point
of accepting your most kind invitation. Our foreign habits allow us to
visit thus early! He will come with me.'

Evan tried to look firm, and speak as he was trying to look. Rose fell
to entreaty, and from entreaty rose to command; and in both was utterly
fascinating to the poor youth. Luxuriously--while he hesitated and dwelt
on this and that faint objection--his spirit drank the delicious changes
of her face. To have her face before him but one day seemed so rich a
boon to deny himself, that he was beginning to wonder at his constancy
in refusal; and now that she spoke to him so pressingly, devoting her
guileless eyes to him alone, he forgot a certain envious feeling that
had possessed him while she was rattling among the other males--a doubt
whether she ever cast a thought on Mr. Evan Harrington.

'Yes; he will come,' cried Rose; 'and he shall ride home with me and my
friend Drummond; and he shall have my groom's horse, if he doesn't mind.
Bob can ride home in the cart with Polly, my maid; and he'll like that,
because Polly's always good fun--when they're not in love with her.
Then, of course, she torments them.'

'Naturally,' said the Countess.

Mr. Evan Harrington's final objection, based on his not having clothes,
and so forth, was met by his foreseeing sister.

'I have your por