te willing to talk to you. Only nothing
that anybody can say can change it."

"Poor Tom!" ejaculated the rejected lover's mother.

"I am very sorry if my cousin is displeased."

"He is ill,--terribly ill. He will have to go away and travel all
about the world, and I don't know that ever he will come back again.
I am sure this Stubbs will never love you as he has done."

"Oh, aunt, what is the use of that?"

"And then Tom will have twice as much. But, however--" Ayala stood
silent, not seeing that any good could be done by addition to her
former assurances. "I will go and tell him, my dear, that's all. Will
you not send him some message, Ayala?"

"Oh, yes; any message that I can that shall go along with my sincere
attachment to Colonel Stubbs. You must tell him that I am engaged to
Colonel Stubbs. You will tell him, Aunt Emmeline?"

"Oh, yes; if it must be so."

"It must," said Ayala. "Then you may give him my love, and tell him
that I am very unhappy that I should have been a trouble to him, and
that I hope he will soon be well, and come back from his travels."
By this time Aunt Emmeline was dissolved in tears. "I could not help
it, Aunt Emmeline, could I?" Her aunt had once terribly outraged her
feelings by telling her that she had encouraged Tom. Ayala remembered
at this moment the cruel words and the wound which they had inflicted
on her; but, nevertheless, she behaved tenderly, and endeavoured to
be respectful and submissive. "I could not help it,--could I, Aunt
Emmeline?"

"I suppose not, my dear."

After that Lady Tringle declared that she would return to London at
once. No;--she would rather not go in to lunch. She would rather go
back at once to the station if they would take her. She had been
weeping, and did not wish to show her tears. Therefore, at Ayala's
request, the carriage came round again,--to the great disgust, no
doubt, of the coachman,--and Lady Tringle was taken back to the
station without having seen any of the Albury family.

CHAPTER LVII.

CAPTAIN BATSBY IN LOMBARD STREET.

It was not till Colonel Stubbs had been three or four days at
Stalham, basking in the sunshine of Ayala's love, that any of the
Stalham family heard of the great event which had occurred in the
life of Ayala's third lover. During that walk to and from Gobblegoose
Wood something had been said between the lovers as to Captain
Batsby,--something, no doubt, chiefly in joke. The idea of the poor
Captain ha