within the reach of
his net; and, as he witnessed the growing familiarity which existed
between his rival and Dorothy, he was more than ever determined
to have vengeance upon him, and more jubilant at the prospect of
attaining the consummation of his wish.

This was the motive which caused his readiness to meet Manners as a
friend. He rightly judged that Manners once put off the scent, the
rest would follow his example, so he appeared to accept Dorothy's
refusal with a better grace, as a thing inevitable; and once face to
face again with his gallant foe, nothing could exceed the extravagance
of the language he employed to convince him that he regretted the
follies of the past and to instil into his mind that he wished for the
future to be counted as his friend.

It is a noticeable feature about villains that they almost always
overreach themselves at some point or other--in story-books they
always do--and to this characteristic De la Zouch proved no exception,
for the very intensity of the words he chose, and the excessive
flattery he employed, instead of gaining their object, aroused in
John Manners' mind a feeling of suspicion of which he could in nowise
dispossess himself. He would have communicated his fears to Dorothy,
but he feared lest she should misjudge him and interpret it as an
ebulition of jealousy, and there was none other except his friend
Crowleigh in whom he could confide. Unwilling, however, to wound
the susceptibilities of De la Zouch, who, after all, might have been
actuated by the best of motives, he fairly met all his advances, and
though he was all along mistrustful of his intentions, yet he was
careful that Sir Henry should perceive no signs of it.

Lady Vernon soon gave Manners a hint that his visit to Haddon might
terminate at any time he chose; but, although wounded in spirit by her
words, he was in no great hurry to depart from Dorothy's side, and Sir
George, eager to make amends for his dame's shortcomings, and ashamed
that the traditional hospitality of his mansion should be so roughly
contradicted while he was the lord of Haddon, appeared most anxious to
prolong the visit, and endeavoured to make the enjoyment of his guest
as complete as it could possibly be, the circumstances being duly
considered.

To the surprise of them all, De la Zouch added his request to the
baron's, declaring that he and Manners would depart together in a few
days, and if his late antagonist did not offer any