t face one might make you a viscountess,
and yet not do badly, either," said he to himself; and then, as if
satisfied that he had given time enough to a mere speculative thought,
he turned over the visiting-cards to see the names of the current
acquaintance: "Midchekoff, Estrolenka, Janini, Tiverton, Latrobe, the
old set; the Ricketts, too, and Haggerstone. What can have brought them
here? Oh, there must have been a ball, for here are shoals of outsiders,
the great Smith-Brown-and-Thompson community; and here, on the very
smallest of pasteboards, in the very meekest of literals, have we our
dear friend 'Albert Jekyl.' He 'll tell me all I want to know,"
said Norwood, as he threw himself back on the comfortable depth of a
well-cushioned chair, and gave way to a pleasant revery.

When George Ouslow had informed Lady Hester of Norwood's arrival, he
hastened to Sir Stafford's apartment to tell him how completely the
Viscount had exonerated himself from any charge that might be made to
his discredit; not, indeed, that George understood one syllable of
the explanation, nor could trace anything like connection between the
disjointed links of the narrative. He could only affirm his own perfect
conviction in Norwood's honor, and hoped an equal degree of faith from
his father. Fortunately for his powers of persuasiveness, they were not
destined to be so sorely tried; for Sir Stafford had just walked out,
and George, too eager to set all right about Norwood, took his hat and
followed, in the hope of overtaking him.

Lady Hester was already dressed, and about to enter the drawing-room,
when George told her that Norwood was there; and yet she returned to
her room and made some changes in her toilet, slight, and perhaps too
insignificant to record, but yet of importance enough to occupy some
time, and afford her an interval for thoughts which, whatever their
nature, served to flush her cheek and agitate her deeply.

It is an awkward thing, at any time, to meet with the person to whom you
once believed you should have been married; to see, on the terms of mere
common acquaintance, the individual with whose fate and fortune you at
one time fancied your own was indissolubly bound up, for weal or woe,
for better or for worse. To exchange the vapid commonplaces of the
world; to barter the poor counters of that petty game called society,
with her or him with whom you have walked in all the unbounded
confidence of affection, speculating o